


Bruised Souls

by bubblesbromleigh, LizzieKat15



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, physical and sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-04
Packaged: 2018-08-07 12:44:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 44
Words: 37,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7715350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblesbromleigh/pseuds/bubblesbromleigh, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieKat15/pseuds/LizzieKat15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I did some research and found this sentence-human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, after drug smuggling and arms dealing. A thought occurred to me-in the event of some type of apocalypse, would such activity evolve and flourish if left unchecked? I can’t imagine the people who manufactured and sold drugs, or arms, or dealt in human trafficking, pedophiles, serial rapists, serial murderers would all be completely exterminated by any sort of human decimation. Without any real authority or law I imagine these folks would revel in their newfound freedom from fear of incarceration for their activities. There would be no moral compass for the most part, and so some of these folks would actually flourish. I tried to write a story incorporating just a small bit of this-a world in which the dead walking would be the least of a person’s worries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Where It All Starts

Bruised Souls

“Being used leaves a soul bruised.” 

Negan had bashed Abraham’s head in with his bat, “Lucille”. Rick and his groups were still kneeling, stunned into silence. Negan smirked at the sight before striding to stop in front of Daryl. Daryl flinched at the sight of Negan standing before him. “Not to worry, I have another idea for you,” Negan chuckled harshly. He nodded to his men and two stepped forward and roughly began to drag Daryl to his feet and away toward the van he had arrived in. Rick started to stand up and another man roughly knocked him sprawling. Negan stepped in front of Rick and placed a booted foot on Rick’s neck, grinding his face into the dirt. “Now I just bashed your guy’s head in to show you how I treat folks who displease me. Do you need me to give you another demonstration?” he growled. Rick mumbled and Negan stepped harder on Rick’s neck. “I can’t hear you. What did you say?” he taunted. 

“No, I don’t need another demonstration,” Rick barked out, his voice breaking with frustrated rage. 

Negan nodded at the others of the group still kneeling. “Good. Now to ensure your cooperation I’m going to take your man there back to my place. He’ll be my guest until I’m sure you’ve all learned your lesson and are cooperating fully with me. Is that understood?” He glared at each of them until they all nodded silently. “As long as you do as I say and I’m satisfied with your efforts, your friend has nothing to fear. Cross me, and you’ve signed his death warrant,” he paused again to look intently at each of them. Raising his foot from Rick’s neck he nodded for his man to jerk Rick back up into a kneeling position. Leaning over, Negan brought his face nose to nose with Rick’s. “And I assure you, in this world we live in now there are far worse things than death out there. So it would be in your friend’s best interests that you do exactly as I say. Do we understand one another?” He smirked as Rick silently nodded his assent. 

Negan turned to walk back toward the vehicle he had arrived in. “Glad we understand one another. I’ll be sending my men to Alexandria in a week for the items on the list my man will give you now. You have one week to have it ready. No excuses.” And with that parting remark, Negan boarded the SUV and headed off, the van containing a wounded Daryl following quickly after. 

Daryl sits in the dark interior of the van, his shoulder throbbing, lightheaded from his blood loss, exhaustion and lack of food or water the entire day. His mind replays Negan’s bat crushing Abraham’s head, blood and brain matter flying everywhere. Sasha’s and Rosita’s screams of horror mixing in with everyone else’s cries. This is all his fault. If he hadn’t been so stupid to go after Dwight none of the others would have followed. They could all have been at Alexandria and thought of a way to get Maggie help without driving her all over creation trying to evade Negan. No really, this was all his fault because he should have just killed Dwight when he first saw him. He should never have tried to help Dwight or that bitch he had been with. Because he had been so incredibly stupid Denise was dead, Abraham was dead, Alexandria was at the mercy of this fucking madman and he couldn’t even begin to imagine what was in store for him at Negan’s compound. He spent the hour or so ride to Negan’s camp berating himself for his incredible stupidity, telling himself Rick and the rest of his family would blame him for all of this and rightfully so. He was a useless piece of shit. Had always been so-hadn’t his own father beaten that lesson into him? And then Merle had taken it upon himself to be sure to remind him when they had left their father behind. 

At the age of 35 Daryl could honestly say the only time he’d ever felt like a human, a person worth knowing was in the brief time since he’d met up with Rick and the others and lived with them. He had been a fool to believe that he could be anything different or better in this new world. All Rick’s professions of brotherly love had been misdirected at a man so hopelessly unworthy of anyone’s kindness or consideration or love. Daryl choked back a sob of despair and shame and tried to calm himself so he could at the very least be a model prisoner for Negan so as not to cause anymore unhappiness and trouble for Rick and his family and the town he’d been torn from

When the van stops Daryl is jerked roughly from it and herded into a barracks like room. He is directed to strip down completely so his wound can be inspected and a physical assessment made of him. He balks at this and is brutally beaten with a club like instrument he likens to the nightstick he’d seen cops use on his own father and brother. He is knocked down repeatedly, kicked and cuffed until he is completely stripped and examined roughly by someone in medical scrubs. His wound is assessed as a through and through gunshot, no real damage to bone or muscle. It’s cleaned and bandaged and he is instructed to dress in what appears to be prison garb –just the pants and shirt, no underwear, no socks just slip on shoes of some cheap material. He is then given antibiotics and a bowl of lukewarm soup which he greedily devours as well as a glass of water he gulps. While he eats, he is given instructions- there is no talking unless spoken to. He is to rise when the guards awaken them, he’ll be served bfast at the field where he is to work from sunup to sundown. He’ll be given lunch there as well. Dinner will be eaten back at the barracks. Lights out an hour after they arrive back at barracks. No socializing. All the men are heavily guarded, and although he is a hostage and is here to keep his leader and community in line, he is informed they have no problem shooting him and getting a replacement. 

He is led to another barracks like room –the kind you see in movies about boot camp or prison work farms-two tiered bunk beds in a plain room. The majority of the bunks are occupied when Daryl is brought in. He is given a bottom bunk in the far corner. He notices the guards don’t leave, they stay at stations located around the room to ensure there is no talking. Daryl lies there giving himself a mental beating worse than any physical beating his father ever administered.


	2. The Bottom Drops Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl quickly finds being a prisoner of Negan's is not the worst that can happen to him.

Chapter Two 

For three months Daryl is worked to exhaustion every day-the men he is held with work seven days a week, ten to twelve hours a day no matter the weather. Although the season has gone from fall to winter, none of the men has been furnished with heavier clothing or jackets or socks. The meals are small portions-enough food to keep a person going but not enough to satisfy their growing hunger. Daryl finds he’s relieved that once again the conditions of his upbringing have prepared him for this situation. He is hungry, exhausted and filthy. The men are stripped once a week in small groups and hosed down with tepid water and given five minutes to soap up and get rinsed. He had at first balked at stripping down but had been beaten well enough that he now hurried to strip and get the humiliation over. He had also seen that as bad as his scars were, there were other men there who seemed to have fared even worse somewhere along the line-brandings, some like Dwight with facial burns from Negan’s iron. 

Daryl had tried to hold out hope that Rick would get word to him somehow, but that hope has been more difficult to sustain as the days have passed. Daryl discovered through listening carefully that the majority of his fellow prisoners were being held as hostages from other communities. Some from further north, some from a westerly direction. He also learned there were women prisoners as well, housed in a different area of the compound and they were also being worked to exhaustion and near starvation-with the added threat of rape from their guards or other of Negan’s men. Daryl has witnessed some of the men being taken away some nights and brought back in the morning much changed-no one would say directly what was happening but he had heard enough to guess-they had been taken for “entertainment” for some of the more sadistic guards. Any time a guard entered the bunkhouse after lights out Daryl felt a tightness in his chest and a churning in his stomach and determined that if anyone came for him he would fight them enough that they would kill him.

One gloomy overcast cold and windy December day Negan appeared in the field where Daryl and the others were laboring. The guards blew their whistles and the men all stood to attention. Negan motioned to the guards and the men were all brought to a single file line for Negan to view. As he strode up and down the line he nodded briefly at different men and they were pulled to the side. Daryl held his breath as Negan approached where he stood, praying that Negan would pass him by. 

Negan stopped in front of Daryl and he felt his heart sink. “Well, well. Daryl isn’t it?” Daryl hesitated and felt a guard strike him in the back and he stumbled. He nodded quickly, uncertain whether he should speak or not. Negan smiled, and Daryl felt his skin begin to crawl. “You’re from Alexandria-Rick’s group right?” Daryl quickly nodded to avoid being struck again. “Well, I hate to inform you that you won’t be my guest much longer,” Negan chuckled. Daryl forgot to keep his eyes down and jerked his head up to stare at Negan. “Thought that would interest you,” Negan continued smoothly. “Yep, your little community has been doing what they consider their best to provide what I ask for. But they just aren’t trying hard enough. So I need to teach them a lesson,” here he paused and waved his ever present bat a bit. Daryl’s eyes widened and he felt his throat close up. “No, I’m not going to use Lucille on you,” Negan chuckled in satisfaction at Daryl’s reaction. “I’ve got something better in mind for you. I’m going to sell you on the market.” Daryl stood stock still, uncertain if he had heard right. “There’s a wider world out there than you know of. And we evil folks are thriving in it,” Negan boasted. He leaned in closer to Daryl and Daryl held his breath. “You see, drug running, arms sales, and sex slavery didn’t stop when the world went to hell. There’s big money to be had dealing in human flesh. Always has been. And I keep an eye out for men or women I think I can get a good price for. I’ve had my eye on you from the time you came here-it’s the only reason you haven’t been used by my guards for their games at night. I need you in good condition to get the price I want. I no longer have a use for you as far as leverage with your friend Rick. He’s been well broken and to drive that point home I’m going to trade you off so that he can spend the rest of his days knowing that what I do to you I can also do to anyone else he cares about-his woman, his son, his daughter.” Negan laughed coldly. Daryl felt the blood rush from his head and struggled to remain upright. Negan turned and nodded at a few more men then strode back toward his vehicle. As he drove off, the guards gathered the men Negan had culled and began marching them to another building further away. Daryl felt cold sweat run down his back-he had thought being here in this camp was hell. Now it seemed he would find out just how much worse his life could be.


	3. Rock Bottom Has A Basement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting into some very graphic stuff here.

In a large warehouse type building Daryl and the other men are stripped by various masked, uniformed and gloved individuals who then lead each one off to a sectioned off area. There they are scrubbed roughly and their hair washed. Their feet and hands are inspected, nails trimmed. Every bodily orifice is inspected-their mouths, teeth, ears. Daryl’s legs are slapped apart and a rough hand handles his balls and dick, he is bent over and a gloved hand examines his hind region. Daryl is struggling and squirming anxiously and can hear other men shouting and blows being administered. He feels like cow or horse being examined before sale.

At last the men are given fresh prison garb to dress in and marched to another barracks like room –only this one has individual barred cells they are placed into. In the center of the room is a wooden structure much like the stocks seen in pictures of the Pilgrims as well as some areas that look like someone could be chained and manacled there. Daryl has time to glance around and see the look of stark terror on the faces of some of the men that he knows is probably on his own face. 

The next few days are a blur of the daily nightmare of being marched at different times to be stripped and manacled while various men and women inspect him and the other men. The first day he watches some of the men get manacled in the stock, and then to his horror he observes these men being poked and prodded in their behinds by both men and women who are inspecting them for sale. Daryl watches as these men in turns piss themselves and weep as they struggle to break free from the stocks and the manacles holding their legs in place. He realizes his turn will come soon and his mind endlessly turns over ways to struggle enough so maybe they’ll just shoot him and all of this will be over. 

The third morning he is quickly marched out to a van like he would’ve seen farm animals being transported in. He hasn’t been allowed to dress, his hands and feet are heavily manacled and it is difficult to walk. His skin is bare to the cold blowing wind that has kicked up overnight. He is roughly loaded into the van and his hands are manacled above him to a single bar which six other people are manacled to-four women and two other men. They each have a gag in their mouth and as he is pondering his new circumstances a gag is thrust roughly into his mouth, the door is slammed shut and the van lurches off throwing all of the prisoners against each other before they quickly try to straighten up. 

Daryl isn’t sure how long the van travels-he knows they’ve spent at least three nights on the road. They’ve been removed from the van and some of his companions taken away and replaced with others before being placed in another transport vehicle. His hands haven’t been chained above his head since that first vehicle, but they’ve remained manacled. They’ve been fed only a few times, and then it was some lukewarm oatmeal type of food that did nothing for his hunger. He could hear the other prisoners stomachs rumbling, and occasional sobs from both men and women of exhaustion and terror. He himself has come close to whimpering out loud this last day. He’s cold, hungry, exhausted and hopeless. His mind has conjured up every conceivable situation that he can expect but he fears that his imagination isn’t going to adequately prepare him for what will actually happen. 

Finally after another day and night of traveling the van stops and they are pulled roughly from it and into a vast hall lit up brightly. There are cells again housing various men and women, as well as more of those stock like structures. Daryl feels his throat close up and stumbles as he is marched through the hall toward a cell at the far end. As he stumbles along he sees and hears men and women being roughly examined, cries of terror as some are dragged away toward another unknown destination. He can hear the cracking sound of a whip and flesh being struck and he nearly falls again as he remembers that sound from his childhood when his father would beat him bloody with his belt or electrical cord or anything else he could grab in the heat of the moment. 

As he’s being marched to a cell, a large and richly dressed man halts his guard. “Hang on there. Let me see what you have here,” he says loudly. Daryl feels the blood leave his head and it’s all he can do to keep standing. Numbly he realizes his guard is herding him over to one of the stock like structures and as he begins to struggle and balk he is struck repeatedly on his back and shoulders while another guard joins in to lock his head and shoulders into the stock and his legs are spread a fair distance and his feet are manacled to the floor. He begins to jerk and twist violently, trying desperately to free himself-knowing it is impossible. To his shame and horror he begins to whimper brokenly as the well dressed man steps behind him and roughly spreads apart his ass cheeks and begins to explore an area he’s never had touched by anyone since he quit wearing diapers. 

“Now, now,” he can hear the large man chuckling behind him. “Be good and stay still otherwise I might slip and jam my finger up your ass. Then we won’t get as good a price on you-we always get more for virgins don’t we guys?” Daryl could hear the guards laugh in agreement as the man continued his examination. He bucked and jerked as the man’s rough hands moved to his balls and dick and examined them. “Well, now. He’s a good size, we can probably get a good price for him in either market. The men will like that he’s a virgin and the women will like that he looks like he can give them a good ride. How about his mouth, what does that look like?” And here the man walked to stand in front of Daryl and roughly pulled his mouth open. “What kind of gag reflex you got here?” he asked before he quickly stripped off his gloves and donned another pair. One of the guards held Daryl’s mouth open while the man shoved first one finger then two into Daryl’s mouth experimentally. Daryl immediately began gagging and tears streamed down his face. “Well, he should get better with practice. Men are always prone to gag more at first. Women now, they seem to be born with the ability to take it all in without gagging,” the man commented. The man winked at the guard and as the guard released Daryl’s mouth the man slapped him lightly on the cheek. “A little practice and you’ll be able to swallow as good as any woman, right?” and he began to stroll slowly away with the guards while Daryl was left manacled, burning with humiliation and shame and tears of frustration and rage streamed down his face. 

A short while later Daryl is herded into another livestock van with another small group of naked, shivering, terrified men and women and endures another seemingly endless night of travel only to be unloaded into another hall just like the previous one. Here he is immediately locked into the stocks and manacled alongside many others and endures another day of poking and prodding and inspection. That evening he and some of the others are herded into a corral type structure and are given bowls of some type of this soup and a bucket of water is placed in the center with a ladle for them to drink from. They are instructed to relieve themselves as needed. He spends a restless night listening to the others sobbing while he wonders brokenly why no one has come to rescue him. 

After being hosed off haphazardly they are paraded out into the center area again and manacled and stockaded again. Daryl endures another day of poking and prodding before a large, rough looking woman stops before him -she roughly opened his mouth, felt of his head and then headed behind him where he could feel her hands lightly brush across his ass and up his back. He heard her humming and mumbling and he struggled not to beg her to pick him, he’d be glad to work off his debt just to avoid being sold to any man who approached. 

One of the guards came up behind him and he heard a short, whispered conversation. Suddenly he was released from the stock and unchained from the places on the floor and was being led off by the woman toward the area he had first been brought in. The woman never turned around to look at him as she led him quickly to the exit. Daryl caught a brief image of a man who had examined him scowling in the woman’s direction and he scrambled to follow the woman lest she change her mind and let the man buy him. 

Once again the cold air struck his bare skin and he shivered involuntarily as he was led to a small van. The open doors revealed small cage like structures stacked inside and his heart sank again as he was loaded into one before the doors were slammed shut leaving him in pitch dark. He shivered again and as his teeth began to chatter from both anxiety and cold he tried not to think about what awaited him.


	4. The Third Ring of Hell

Chapter Four

After another two days of travel during which Daryl is joined by a few other men he arrives at what appears to have been at one time a military base. At this point he has no idea where he is or how far from his family he is. He is despondent, heartbroken that his family hasn’t found a way to help him. He feels worthless, believes his family blames him for everything that happened with Negan and that he will never see them again. 

The group is taken to a disembarking area and the men are told to clean up and they’ll be given something to eat. While eating, the men are briefed on what will be expected of them. In this community the women are in charge-it’s an experimental community to see if a matriarchal community will be a more stable community than a patriarchal community. The men are informed they will be evaluated for skills they might have to fill needed positions around the community-farming, electricians, carpenters, auto repair etc and will be placed in apprenticeships for these jobs. They will also be given physicals to evaluate their health and ability to carry out said jobs. They will then be paired with a woman after their evaluations. This system is meant to be based on the old system of indenturing someone-they are owned by the woman who picks them for five years. At that time if the woman feels they’ve earned their freedom, it will be granted. They can then leave the community or stay on as an active participant in the community. And just as in previous times, if anyone tries to escape they will be punished severely. 

Daryl’s heart sinks as he listens silently to all of this. He knows he is ill prepared for any type of life other than the one he led with his brother and then his family-he has no real skills other than tracking and hunting. He’s never built anything, has no knowledge of farming, no cooking skills, no real education beyond the sixth grade. The last few months at first Negan’s camp and then the weeks of being herded and inspected has stripped him of any sense of self-worth he had managed to build up while with Rick and his family. He feels worthless, ashamed and embarrassed and is sure that no one will want him and he’ll end up being sold back to the traders or thrown out to survive on his own. Daryl spends that night lying awake, his mind replaying his encounters with Dwight and Negan. Counting all the times he failed his family-going back to not finding Sophia in time. Punishing himself worse than his father ever could have with his belt.

The next morning, the men are brought into a room fitted out like the schoolrooms he remembered vaguely from school. The sight of the desks and the smell of chalk cause his chest to tighten with anxiety. He had so wanted to learn, but the bullying from both students and teachers had quickly turned his desire to learn to a reluctance to attend school. He had begun playing truant before his mother had died-first or second grade-when he’d caught on to the fact that the teachers saw him as just another piece of trash they had to put up with. There was no effort to explain the math and alphabet to him. He fell hopelessly behind more and more each day until by the sixth grade, after he’d flunked both second and third grade and was now two years older than any of the other students in his class he had just stopped going. Merle had taught him basic math skills and the most remedial of reading skills. He had over the years made better progress in his reading by at first forcing himself to read the rare books he happened upon and then later seeking books out when he found he enjoyed reading once he was confident he could both read and comprehend what he was reading. 

To his growing dismay, the men were seated at desks and told they would be given basic math and reading skills tests before moving on to more advanced subjects. Daryl’s shoulders hunched and he kept his eyes on the desk so as to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes and seeing the scorn there.


	5. Testing Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uncomfortable flashbacks to school

Chapter Five

The morning passes slowly as Daryl sees exactly how poor his education has been. The basic math had been difficult and when the testing for algebra and geometry was handed out he just shook his head and gave the paper back to the woman handing them out. The science papers were handed back as well. When the group had been asked who among them had ever welded, done carpentry work or plumbing, electrical work, and on and on he realized he was the only man there who had never once raised his hand. 

As the men were called out to be given a physical, the woman running the class had motioned to him to join her to the side of the room. He stood before her, too shamed to meet her gaze. 

“Your name is Daryl, right?” she asked quietly. Daryl nodded. “I noticed you didn’t raise your hand at all when I was asking about skills,” she continued and Daryl rolled his shoulder silently. “What exactly did you do before this all happened? How did you earn a living? Or were you in jail?” she pressed on. 

Daryl finally met her gaze hesitantly. “No ma’am, ain’t ever been in jail. I just,” he stammered, “I just didn’t do much of anything. My brother and me lived off the land-hunted and fished and never really lived in any kind of town,” he continued falteringly. He realized how shitty his life before sounded when he explained it out loud. 

The woman nodded and gazed at him considering. “You didn’t have much schooling either, I gather,” she said quietly. Daryl hung his head and shook it. “Well, there are some women here who prefer their men big and dumb so you might be lucky and have one of them pick you. Otherwise we may have to send you back out with the next trader that comes through.” And she turned to walk toward the door and went out into the hall. Daryl felt his face burn and a cold sweat start down his back and found himself standing there as if rooted to the spot by the new fear that he would be turned out and subjected to being herded around again. 

In a short while Daryl was called to the door by the woman. “Just go down the hall to that door on the right and the doctor will see you,” she said coldly. He nodded mutely and stepped down the hall feeling his legs turning to jelly the closer he got to the door. As he approached it he heard a woman’s voice call out, “Come in and strip down. You’re one of the last and I want to get home soon,” she continued impatiently. 

Daryl stepped in and closed the door behind him and stood uncertainly in front of a tall, imposing woman. “Go on, take your clothes off so I can examine you,” she said briskly and picked up a clipboard as Daryl awkwardly stripped his clothes off. When he hesitated with his underwear she clucked her tongue sharply. “Those too. You know that. I can’t do a full exam unless you’re completely naked.” Daryl dropped his briefs and stood abashed in front of her. She stepped in front of him and raised his arms above his head then to his sides. As she pressed here and there and ran her hands roughly over his arms and shoulders she asked questions. “Ever have mumps? Measles? Have asthma? Any allergies?” she continued asking questions regarding family medical history and the like all the while running her hands over him and instructing him to breathe deeply, etc. When she saw his back she stopped asking questions and ran her hands wonderingly over the deep scars there. 

“Who did this?” she asked quietly. 

“M dad,” he rasped. 

“When did this stop?” she asked ever more quietly. 

“When I was eighteen. I ran away with my brother. Never went back,” he answered quietly. 

Daryl heard her sigh heavily. “Physically you seem healthy, although a bit thin and I imagine that’s from God knows what you’ve been through the last little while. I hear you haven’t got much education, and seeing your back I can guess why. I believe you’re a smart man-you couldn’t have survived this long without having some native intelligence.” She stepped back in front of him and gazed at him with a weary look in her eye. “I’ve seen plenty of folks with college degrees without a speck of real intelligence to them. Don’t let your lack of schooling worry you, a man like you has more worth in this kind of world we live in now. You know how to survive. That’s what’s important now. Ain’t nobody going to be hiring anybody on Wall Street or at any of the big corporations anytime soon young man. You’ve got the edge on all those empty shirts now. Use that to your advantage if you can find a way to.” She hesitated a moment and smiled a sad smile at him. “You can get dressed and go on back to the other room now.” And she turned away from him and began to write on her paperwork as Daryl dressed quickly and headed out back to the other room.


	6. Another Ring Down Into Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl meets the woman who he will "belong" to

Chapter Six

Daryl and the other men were fed in the same room they’d eaten in previously and he again spent another night tossing and turning -unable to stop his mind from conjuring various scenarios wherein he was thrown out of the community without any way to defend himself from walkers. Or he was herded back into another van and taken off to be sold and used cruelly by some man. 

Daryl finally staggered from the bed and used the time while the other men slept to take a long hot shower. They had been told the night before that they would be paired off today to begin their indentureships. He had no hope whatsoever of anyone picking him but told himself if he did get picked he would keep his mouth shut and do as he was told. Daryl realized sadly that his only chance of survival is to do what he saw his mother do all those years ago with his father-take whatever he has to, the daily crushing of his soul, because he has nowhere else to go. An icy cold fills his chest as he slowly dresses and heads toward the small reception area to await whatever fate holds for him. 

As Daryl waits in the reception area while other men are called into another room he realizes with a start that he had not even thought this entire situation through-he hasn’t ever lived with a woman-not since his Ma had died all those years ago. He has no real experience with a woman other than a very few drunken sexual encounters in the back of bars or cars years ago. He had been told he had been less than impressive in his performance and had quickly abandoned any further experimentation in that direction long ago despite Merle’s bullying and taunting. The thought that living with a woman might include his being expected to have sex on a regular basis with a woman he didn’t know and do well enough that she would want to keep him and not throw him out was daunting and made his heart sink even further at the realization again of how blighted his life had been before all this. 

After an hour or so of waiting Daryl is called into the room. He is told to stand in the center of the room and sees a dais in front of him with seven women seated. A large older woman calls his name and informs him he is to be indentured to Patricia. A tallish, thin woman in her late thirties/early forties approaches him confidently and his throat goes dry. She reminds him of the women Merle used to try to bully him to go with or that Merle himself would go off with-sharp featured with no warmth or kindness in her face. The kind of woman who had no concerns other than her own immediate needs. Daryl feels his stomach cramp and his heart begin to thump agitatedly in his chest. 

“You’re mine,” she practically crows. She raises her hand to brush his hair from his eyes and he flinches. “Well now are you shy?” she croons and he cringes inwardly. She grasps his chin in her hands roughly and lifts his face to look intently at him. “Remember now sugar, when I ask you something you best answer me. Either yes ma’am or no ma’am, but I expect an answer,” she continues harshly as she drops her hand and begins to stroll around him appraisingly. Patricia comes to a stop in front of him again and he quickly drops his eyes to the floor. The woman hums. “Let me hear you say it sugar, tell me yes ma’am,” she says loudly and challengingly. 

“Now Patricia, there’s no need to act like that. You got the one you wanted, be nice about it,” one of the women sitting at the dais says sharply. 

Patricia smiles coldly and pats Daryl on the arm. “That’s right, I have him and he’s mine. And I want to hear him say it out loud before we leave,” she insists harshly. 

Daryl feels the constriction in his chest tighten and knows without a doubt he will never be able to make this woman happy no matter what he does. She has chosen him to spite someone else and so will not think twice about humiliating him in any way. The full weight of his situation comes crashing down on him-and the brutality, humiliation and anxiety of the last few months undoes him. An icy cold fills his chest as he looks up from the floor into Patricia’s eyes. “Yes ma’am,” he says quietly and as meekly as he can manage. 

Patricia smiles thinly and snaps her fingers. “Good boy. Now let’s get you home so I can unwrap you and see just what type of present I’ve gotten myself,” she says coldly and walks rapidly toward the door not stopping to see if Daryl is following, which he forces himself to do without a backward glance.


	7. Setting The Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl learns just what Patricia will expect of him.

Chapter Seven

At Patricia’s house, Daryl is instructed to strip down once they enter the foyer. He is given the house rules he is to follow-no clothes are to be worn by him past the foyer. He is to scrub up in the small bathroom that is just off the front hall every evening when he arrives home from work. That is his bathroom but she will inspect it to be sure it is kept spotless. He will eat when she feeds him and not any other time. He is not allowed to take any food or drink from the kitchen unless he asks first. He has his own bedroom, but again it is to be kept up to her standards. He will be working at a shop Monday through Friday as an apprentice for basic handyman work but on Saturday and Sunday she expects him to perform his house chores-lawn care, laundry, house maintenance, etc. He is also to service her when and how she wishes with no complaints. With every sentence Patricia pauses for Daryl to reply yes ma’am. Patricia instructs him to go and clean up in his bathroom and then join her in her bedroom so she can further inspect him. After he is dismissed Daryl enters the bathroom and turns the water on as hot as he can stand it and slides to the floor of the shower and his shoulders heave with muffled weeping. 

Once he is dried off and cleaned up after himself he goes to Patricia’s bedroom where she is awaiting him in a recliner in a negligee. He is embarrassed and fidgets, unsure of where to place his hands. She stands up and crosses the room to where he stands and grasps his dick in her hand roughly appraising him. Daryl flinches as she begins to stroke and examine him while she questions him about his sexual history. How many women he’d been with, what type of sex he’d had, had he been with men, etc. All the while she is stroking him and to his horror he is rock hard and aching when she suddenly stops. She smiles cruelly and sits back down.

“Well now sugar, you can go on to your room that I showed you. But I don’t want you touching yourself. I own you and part of my owning you means you obey me. I can whip you, but I’ve seen your back and spoken with the doc and I’m guessing whipping won’t be anything to you after all that you’ve been through. Don’t worry though, I’m a clever gal and I have a very inventive imagination. So I can definitely find a different way to punish you.” Patricia laughs coldly at Daryl’s expression and the sight of his hands twitching anxiously at his sides. “Now go on and get some rest, if you can,” she says quietly. Daryl murmurs yes ma’am and walks silently from the room down the hall to the small room outfitted with a mattress on the floor and a thin sheet and pillow. 

The room looks to have been a large closet at one time-just enough room for the mattress and if he lies carefully he can stretch out. There is no light or dresser or anything other than the mattress in the room. Patricia has already told him one of her punishments would be to lock him in the room, the thought of which Daryl knows will completely undo him. That was one of his Pa’s ways of tormenting him-knowing Daryl when young had been afraid of the dark his father would beat him bloody and then lock him out in the root cellar where he’d sob all night sure that the noises he heard were rats coming to bite him. Merle had one time when their Pa was passed out shown him the root cellar during the day and assured him no rats or any other creatures lived in it but Daryl had not been convinced. He knew he heard scuffling and scratching every time he’d been locked down there. There had been some nights he’d screamed himself hoarse from fear and in the morning been unable to talk, which usually earned him another beating. The only good thing about their house burning had been they had had to move to a shitty trailer further from town and there was no root cellar to be locked up in. 

 

After yet another sleepless night, Daryl is awoken early by Patricia and informed this week he will be given instructions as to what will be expected of him. Daryl quickly learns not to hesitate when Patricia instructs him to do anything -each time he incurs her displeasure means a meal missed or being forced to clean the kitchen floor with a toothbrush or something the likes of which he’d heard Merle complain about having had to do during his brief stint in the Army. 

The first week goes by with more and more chores being heaped on him-and he sees that the woman who owns him would have been taking some type of medication in the old world for OCD or something like that. Nothing he does is done correctly, there is always something she complains about. The lawn has to be taken care of a certain way, plants watered in a certain order. If one light goes out, every light has to be changed all through the house. Daryl feels at times that Patricia is egging him on in hopes he balks so she can lock him in the bedroom or punish him some other way. His fear of what her imagination will come up with keeps him quiet and he works ever harder to please her. 

The evening of his fifth night with Patricia, she calls him into her bedroom where she is lying comfortably on her bed. “Well, tonight I’ll see how you do in the bedroom. You’re doing well already at the shop I hear, and you’re following my instructions here at home so far with only a slip up or two. So let’s see how you do in bed now.” Daryl stands stock still at the foot of her bed, completely at a loss as to how to proceed. “For heaven’s sake, you’ve had some experience right?” Patricia huffs out. Daryl nods silently. “Well come on up here then. Hurry up sugar,” she says tersely, snapping her fingers. 

Daryl felt his whole body flush with embarrassment and shame. “How do you want me to….um…” he stammers out hoarsely. 

Patricia sighs impatiently. “We can do it missionary style for starters. You can manage that right,” she exclaims.

Daryl nods uncertainly and moves slowly to the bed. He crawls up the length of the bed as Patricia instructs him to and he again hesitates, kneeling in front of her between her legs. 

“You do know where to put your dick, right?” Patricia smirks at him. 

Daryl realizes there is no way in hell he is ever going to be able to get hard enough to do what Patricia is demanding of him and he starts to back away from her. Patricia sits up and glares at Daryl. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” she yells. 

Daryl hops off the bed and stands trembling. “I can’t do this,” he chokes out. 

Patricia goes silent and gives him a long look. “Alright Daryl. Go clean up and go on to your room. We’ll try this again tomorrow.” 

Daryl looks at her suspiciously and when Patricia nods he heads to the bathroom and cleans up again and then goes and lies down in his closet. As he’s lying there, replaying the scene in his mind he hears the click of a lock and sits up and scrambles to turn the knob. It’s locked. 

“I want you to think about what just happened Daryl,” Patricia says calmly from the other side of the door. “I told you I expect you to do what I say when I say it. So we’re going to try this first. You sit in there and think about how you’ve disappointed me. And then we’ll see tomorrow if you’ve learned your lesson,” she continued calmly. 

Daryl grabbed the knob anxiously and jiggled it. He could feel that old helpless feeling rise up in him. This wasn’t the root cellar, but it was dark and unfamiliar and he was exhausted and anxious already. He began trembling and his breath stuttered in his throat. 

“Please,” he pleaded hoarsely, “please don’t lock me in here. Please. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, I swear it. Just please don’t lock me in here,” he choked out between growing sobs. Silence. Daryl stood and tried to ram his shoulder into the door wildly hoping he could break it down. 

“That’s not going to work sugar,” Patricia’s voice came through the door. “It’s a reinforced door. You can beat yourself bloody against it, you won’t get it open. If you’re a good boy and stay quiet for a while I might let you out so you can try again.” 

Daryl sat back down quickly, his trembling increasing. “Yeah. I can do that. I’ll stay quiet. I’ll be good. I promise,” he babbled almost incoherently, unconsciously slipping back into the speech patterns of his five year old self. He crossed his legs Indian style and clasped his hands together tightly in his lap. He struggled to control his breathing, feeling sweat running down his back and into his eyes stinging them. 

“Alright then. Stay quiet and be good and I’ll let you out in a while. But remember that if you ever disobey me again I’ll lock you in for a whole night, or longer. Hear me?”

Daryl nodded eagerly. “Yeah.”

“Answer me right Daryl,” Patricia crooned from the other side. 

“Yes ma’am. I promise I’ll be good,” he stammered out anxiously. 

“Alright then,” and as he heard her steps recede he struggled not to panic again, reminding himself that she said if he kept quiet she’d let him out shortly.


	8. Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl is rescued...or is he

Chapter Eight

It’s a bright and breezy spring day. Daryl is watering Patricia’s plants she had him arrange at intervals along her back yard fence. His next chore for the day is to lay the mulch in the new flower beds she had him mark out. His skin is starting to tingle from the burn he is surely going to get working out in the sun without a shirt, but he knows better than to disobey her. She likes to sit on a chair on her patio -sometimes with her friends-while she watches him work. She’s had him on a strict diet and rigged up a makeshift gym in a room and has a workout routine for him she put together with a woman who used to be in the military. Daryl realizes he’s thinner than he’s ever been, but he’s also well cut and defined-the best shape he’s ever been in. The drawback to all that working out is that Patricia likes to watch him working in the yard with a minimal amount of clothes on while she and her friends ooh and ahh over him. Occasionally she’ll call him over so her friends can run their hands over his now well- defined arms and back while he stands stock still and tries to control his breathing. 

After the last few months of almost nonstop pawing at him by both Patricia and her friends he still has to remind himself not to flinch at their touch and tries to clear his mind and control his breathing while they run their hands over his scars and ask how he came by them. Which he has to explain over and over to their satisfaction. They can’t seem to get enough of his childhood-asking repeatedly to describe his beatings in graphic detail as well as his mother and father’s neglect and near constant intoxication. They especially like to hear about his mother burning up in the house. Although they express sympathy, tutt tutting and murmuring “poor little lamb” and other syrupy shit he knows full well they don’t mean any of it. They like hearing it because it makes them feel superior and they can marvel at Patricia’s training of such a piece of trash as himself so that he can present himself in polite company without embarrassing Patricia. 

After each of these show and tell sessions, he has nightmares all night about his Pa and Ma and Merle and imagines them telling him he should’ve killed himself before letting himself shame the Dixon name. As if there had ever been any pride in being a Dixon. 

Two months back, he had been caught by one of the other men staring a little too long at one of the sharper knives in the shop. The man had shaken his head and gently taken the knife out of Daryl’s hand. “That will only lead to more heartache son,” the man had said softly. “Someone will find you, they’ll get you patched up and then you’ll be sold off because you aren’t cooperating. Trust me, I’ve seen it a very few times since I’ve been here and it never ends the way the man hoped it would-death and peace.” The man patted Daryl gently on the arm and moved off to place the knife back where it belonged. He glanced once more at Daryl and on the man’s face Daryl saw the look he now saw on his own face when he glanced in a mirror-resignation and hopelessness. 

So Daryl had taught himself to move without thinking-kind of like he had whenever he’d been out in the woods tracking. Every day he put himself on autopilot, only staying alert enough to be able to respond to Patricia’s nonstop yammering with the requisite yes ma’am and no ma’am. When she demanded he service her, which had become almost daily now and sometimes more than once, he imagined himself in bed with Beth or Carol or Michonne or Maggie just so he could get hard and stay hard and last long enough to please Patricia. He had been locked in the closet only once since that first time and had been let out after a few hours. He had made a monumental effort to be as meek and accommodating as possible to avoid another session in the closet. 

Sometimes Daryl would suddenly realize he was doing some maintenance work in the shop or working out in the gym Patricia had set up or even while fucking her and panic because he couldn’t remember where he was for a second. He was reminded then of Merle and his friends lying around for days so stoned they couldn’t move and then suddenly coming out of it like someone had thrown cold water on them. His mind turned to suicide more and more often at night while he lay alone in his closet, he just couldn’t think of a foolproof way to accomplish it-Patricia had a sharp eye on him at all times and he suspected he was watched at the shop as well. He would need enough time alone to make sure he couldn’t be revived. And he had not figured out how to work around that yet. 

Daryl paused while he held some plant in his hand when he heard some voices over the fence. He suppressed a sigh imagining it would be more of Patricia’s friends come to run their damn hands all over him. It took all his will not to shake them all off and growl at them to leave him the fuck alone. He quickly clamped his teeth together to keep from growling out loud and draw Patricia’s attention. To his surprise she hopped up and scurried into the house. Figuring he’d better not get caught dawdling, Daryl proceeded with his chores for the afternoon. He was deep into mulching a flower bed when he started at a hand on his arm. Looking up he saw Patricia frowning at him and his stomach twisted. What in the name of God had he done wrong now? Before he could begin running through his activities since that morning, Patricia motioned for him to stand up and she turned to the two women he realized suddenly were standing there. 

Daryl realized with a start that one of the women was the woman who had given him his exam his first night here. He patiently waited, gritting his teeth at the thought of another damn exam in front of the other woman. 

“Daryl, this is Katie and Aileen. You already know Aileen from when you first got here, right?” Patricia said and Daryl had to remind himself not to stare at her -her tone and voice was like syrup, definitely not what he ever heard out of her mouth. 

When Patricia cut him a look, he started and nodded quickly. “Yes ma’am, yes I did,” he answered quietly. He was trying his best to keep his eyes on the ground like Patricia demanded, but managed to sneak a glance or two at the women and to his surprise found the pretty redhead staring openly at him. Her expression was one of frank relief, which puzzled Daryl instantly and he felt himself becoming anxious. 

The woman who had examined him, Aileen, glared at Patricia with open disgust on her face. “Why didn’t you tell us about the alert?” she snapped. 

Daryl’s mouth fell open a bit when he saw Patricia looked like the kid who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped back. 

Aileen stepped closer to Patricia and Daryl wondered for a minute if she was going to strike Patricia. 

“The hell you don’t. You got that list of folks that are missing from places. I know you did because I spoke with the man two days ago who said he gave you that list. And he said he remembered Daryl’s name on that list because he remembered Rick begging him to help find Daryl,” she spat out. 

Daryl’s head jerked up at that. “Rick?” he said hoarsely. Patricia rounded on him angrily and raised her hand but Aileen grasped the wrist painfully and twisted it. 

The pretty redhead stepped closer to Daryl and smiled reassuringly. “Yes your friend Rick. He added your name to the list a few months back. Jack, one of the traders who runs the circuit of camps, told us about it. He said he had visited Alexandria in February and it was a mess.” Daryl started and began to breath heavily, dreading what he was about to hear. The redhead laid her hand on Daryl’s arm softly. “No,” she said quickly, “your family is alright. The place was a mess because they had worked with two other camps to fortify it and they were able to kill …..” she looked at Aileen, “what was his name?”

“Negan,” Daryl spit out. His face had flushed and he was trembling with suppressed emotion at this point. 

The redhead nodded. “Yes that’s it. Jack said Rick was half mad with grief-Negan had let him believe you were still in his camp until the last minute. Once Rick knew what had happened he had begged every trader of any kind who came near Alexandria to add your name to their list. There’s been so many people looking for you Daryl. Your family didn’t forget you,” and she stopped suddenly as Daryl’s legs gave out and he sank to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably. The redhead sank to the ground beside him and ran her hand softly through his hair, murmuring quietly. 

Aileen jerked Patricia away from the scene and pushed her against the house. “You sorry bitch. I’ve always said you were trouble, but what you’ve done is so much worse than I ever could have imagined. Keeping that poor man here while you bossed and bullied him around all the while knowing he had folks looking for him. I’m going to see that you get thrown the hell out of here.” Patricia began to protest and Aileen shook her roughly. “You just shut your mouth right now. You’re coming with me to the hall and you’re going to explain yourself to everyone there.” And Aileen jerked Patricia’s arm roughly and began half dragging her toward the gate of the fence. “Are you okay with him Katie?” she called over her shoulder. 

The redhead nodded. “Yes,” she answered quietly.


	9. Another Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl is reassured.

Chapter Nine

Katie continued to murmur softly while Daryl sobbed, taking several minutes before his sobs lessened and his breathing became more regular. He sat up and rubbed his face roughly and looked at her quietly. 

“I am so very, very sorry this happened to you Daryl. Patricia will be dealt with harshly for this. We pride ourselves on being communities that are different-we want to be inclusive, caring, and try our best to rescue people from bad situations and reunite them with their families. This is not how we expect our folks to behave. Patricia knew the first time she saw your name on that list she had a duty to inform our councils and your family would have been notified that you were safe.” She paused at his continued silence. “We’ll send word right away to Rick, and they can come get you…”

Daryl shot to his feet agitatedly. “No. No. I ain’t goin’ back. I don’t wanna see any of them!” he yelled hoarsely. He staggered backwards, his face flushed and Katie could see his trembling was increasing. She stood up and took a step forward but Daryl backed away clumsily. “No, I don’t want them to see me …not after….” And he choked off his words to turn away from her and drop to his knees again. A sound tore out of his throat as he threw his head back and Katie’s blood ran cold. She had never heard such a sound of such deep sorrow and despair in her life. She ran to where he knelt and knelt in front of him. 

“Daryl, Daryl don’t! We don’t have to do anything right now. I promise. We can send word you’re safe and tell them to give you some time. You can have all the time in the world, I promise,” she said urgently. Daryl quieted and gazed at her with such an anguished look on his features that Katie felt her own tears begin to course slowly down her face. “Oh Daryl, we can do this together. I promise you won’t be alone. I promise as long as you’re in my community no one will ever hurt you again.” Daryl stared quietly at the tears streaming down her face. 

“I don’t want anyone feelin’ sorry for me,” he gritted out. 

Katie shook her head. “I don’t feel sorry for you. I feel badly that you had to go through a horrific experience and you thought you were all alone. No one should ever be made to feel that way. But I promise you I don’t feel sorry for you-Aileen told me she was impressed when she examined you. She told me you’re a smart man in a way that is necessary now. She also said you have a lot of grit and are a true survivor. So I don’t feel sorry for you because I have faith these last few horrible months will have just made you so much stronger and more resilient.” 

Katie stood and extended her hand to Daryl. “Come on, let’s get out of here. You can come over to my camp and get settled in.” She stood quiet, patiently waiting on Daryl. He finally nodded shortly and rose without taking her hand. She sighed softly and began to walk toward the gate, feeling his presence just behind her.


	10. Meet the family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl starts to get to know Katie

Chapter Ten

Daryl remained silent the short drive back to Katie’s compound. They had not seen Aileen or Patricia before they left and Daryl was relieved at that. As Katie drove silently, Daryl gazed out the window at the view. After just thirty minutes they approached a massive gate in a walled compound. 

“This was an Army base,” Katie explained quietly. “When the military realized what was going on most abandoned the place to try to get back to where their families were. I came up here with my husband and a group of folks from western Pennsylvania. We got the place sorted out and through trial and error we’ve brought people into our town. For the most part we’ve been very lucky-we have enough people here who know how to keep the walls strong and the weapons ready and the people we’ve let join us have been like minded in how we want the community run.” Katie flicked a glance and saw Daryl still staring quietly out his window. As Katie drove through the gates Daryl gazed in envy at how much better these walls were than the ones in Alexandria. If his family had had walls like these no walkers could’ve gotten in and they wouldn’t have had to worry about any assholes like Negan. 

He sighed and shifted restlessly in his seat. No sense thinking like this-the reality was they hadn’t had a place like this, and they’d been attacked repeatedly. From the beginning-the farm, the prison, Alexandria. There was no place safe in this world anymore. Unless you were in a place like this. Maybe. 

Katie stopped in front of what appeared to be another meeting hall like the one where he had met Patricia. As she stepped out of the truck a small girl ran toward her. “Mommy!” she squealed happily. Daryl felt his heart squeeze-the girl was about Judith’s age. Glossy black curls hung wildly about her face and her skin had a slight tan to it from playing in the sun. Katie picked her up and hugged her tightly. 

“Hey baby!” she sang out and planted kisses all over the girl’s face. The little girl giggled and squirmed happily and then turned to point at the truck. 

“Who’s that?” she demanded. Katie turned toward Daryl and smiled apologetically. 

“This is Mr. Dixon and he’s come to visit with us for a while,” Katie explained while watching Daryl anxiously. The little girl squirmed to get down. When Katie released her she ran toward the truck and stopped to gaze solemnly up at Daryl. Daryl felt his chest tighten again at the thought of Judith and how much he missed that little girl he’d helped raise since her birth. 

“Hi,” the little girl said seriously. “My name’s Rachel,” she continued. 

Daryl nodded back at her. “Pleased to meet you Rachel. My name’s Daryl,” he said quietly. 

Katie swept Rachel back up and smile apologetically again at Daryl. “This is my nosy rosy here-she thinks she’s the greeting committee for us,” she murmured. 

Daryl nodded again. “Rick has a girl bout her age, Judith. We all helped raise her since birth-almost like she belongs to all of us,” he mumbled as he gazed at Rachel. 

Katie nodded back. “I’ll get her settled with the babysitter and then I can show you around,” she began. 

Rachel began to squirm to get back down. “No! I want to go too,” she half wailed. 

Daryl tried not to smirk at the resemblance to Judith throwing one of her fake crying fits to get her way.   
“It’s alright with me if you go, if yer mamma don’t mind,” he said hesitantly, glancing cautiously at Katie. 

Katie nodded. “Yes, thanks. I’m afraid we wouldn’t get much done in showing you around if I had to hear her screaming and crying the whole time from the schoolyard.” She sighed and turned Rachel loose to stand again on the ground. 

“C’mon!” Rachel cried to Daryl impatiently. 

Daryl slowly got out of the truck, feeling a wave of exhaustion hit him hard. He felt as if he could lie down and not get back up for days. Just knowing he wouldn’t be servicing Patricia any time ever again made him sure he’d get a better nights sleep tonight than he had in years. As he rounded the front of the truck Rachel skipped over to him and grabbed his hand. Katie held her breath, afraid Daryl would be spooked by Rachel, but to her relief and surprise he clasped Rachel’s little hand in his big one and let her lead him toward the hall. Katie followed close behind, marveling at how children and pets were the best medicine for a broken heart.


	11. A house is not a home

Chapter Eleven

Katie strolls slowly around the main areas of the compound-she points out the hall and seeing Daryl reluctant to go in she assures him she’ll inform the other council members about his arrival. Katie points out the school, and Rachel tells him about her classes there. Katie whispers it’s preschool and there are surprisingly quite a few kids of a wide range of ages here. There’s only been one other baby born here since Rachel, but there were a number of small children here from the beginning when Katie arrived. 

As they stroll about, with Rachel chattering animatedly, Katie watches Daryl closely. He seems very timid, and frequently looks to her as if asking her permission to talk or look closer at something. She asks him what type of work he had been involved in at Patricia’s compound and he mumbles that he was a handy man because he was too stupid to do anything else. She raises her eyebrows at this but keeps silent. 

As they stroll onto a street with bungalow type houses, Katie announces he’ll be staying in one of these on this street. “It’s not as busy a street as some of the others, quieter. We found that helped folks to transition to our community-a kind of slower paced more peaceful place to regroup and acclimate,” she says, and blushes again as she realizes she sounds like a saleman. 

Daryl looks at her quizzically. “I get my own place? For a night or two right? And then I go to whoever picks me right?” 

Katie stops in her tracks and gazes at him stupidly. “Picked?”

Daryl starts to flush again and avoids looking at her, his hands twitching at his sides. “mmm” he hums quietly. 

“What do you mean picked?” she persists. Daryl rolls his shoulder and seems to fold in on himself as if he were trying to make himself disappear. Katie frowns in consternation. “I don’t know what you mean, but you can tell me later if you’re not comfortable now,” she continues and nods in Rachel’s direction. Daryl simply nods quickly and walks toward where Rachel is beckoning him. 

“That’s our home, me and mommy,” she giggles, pointing at a neat, pretty little house across the street from where they were standing. Daryl observes how tidy it looks, with wide front porch and plants hanging from it. Little flowers were growing along the sidewalk, and he could see a porch swing. All in all it looked to him a little like a dollhouse, perfect for the pretty redhead and her energetic little girl. 

“Nice house,” he mumbles. 

Rachel shakes her head vigorously. “No it’s our home,” she emphasizes. “Mommy says anyone can have a house, but lucky people have a home.” 

Daryl looks to Katie and she blushes and shushes Rachel. To her surprise Daryl nods in agreement with Rachel. “Yer mama’s right girl,” he rasps. Katie shoots him a look to see if he’s teasing and finds him looking wistfully at her home. 

“Wanna come see my room?” Rachel shouts excitedly and takes off across the street to the house.   
Katie jogs after Rachel. “Rachel, no. Daryl can look another time,” she says in exasperation as she catches up to her daughter then starts when she hears Daryl just behind her. 

“Ain’t doin’ anythin’ else right now, if that’s alright with you,” he says quietly. 

Katie nods and grasping Rachel’s hand to keep her from running off again they proceed up the steps and into the small front room. Daryl’s mouth falls open when he steps through the door-it’s as if he’s gone decades back in time-he recognizes some of the furniture as having the look of the stuff he’d see in the old black and white movies his Ma would watch on the rare occasions his Pa wasn’t around raising hell. 

“It’s cheesy I know,” Katie rushes to explain. “But I always loved vintage furniture and when we got here we found a whole warehouse full of furniture folks had discarded over the years. None of it matches really, but …..” and she shrugged. She peered at him to see his reaction. 

“’S like bein’ in a old movie,” Daryl said quietly as his gaze roamed over the tables and chairs and pictures. He imagined she had spent a lot of time getting the furniture back to decent shape, but it fit her and the house. 

Rachel pointed at a picture on an end table. “That’s my daddy,” she said proudly. Daryl looked to see a photo of Katie and a handsome young man in what appeared to be a wedding picture. She didn’t have an elaborate dress on, but carried a small bouquet. He was in a suit, although not a fancy suit, and was beaming down at her. 

“How’d ya manage to keep that?” he wondered aloud. 

“We were very lucky. We got here ahead of the worst of it, and managed to keep most of our belongings we’d packed. We found out later just how lucky we had been when we had folks join us here who had been out there for a long time. Like you and your friends probably were,” she said quietly. 

Daryl nodded quietly. “What happened?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the photo. He noted a pained expression cross Katie’s face and her mouth tightened into a thin line. 

“That’s a story for another time. For now I’ll just say he died a month before Rachel was born,” and she turned and walked to the entrance to the kitchen. 

“C’mon Daryl,” Rachel grabbed Daryl’s hand and tugged him toward the short hall. “You can see my toys!” 

Daryl followed Rachel, all the while his mind whirling with concern over how angry he’d made Katie and how she might punish him for it.


	12. Getting to know you

Chapter Twelve

Daryl stood just inside the doorway of Rachel’s room, enjoying her excited chattering as she showed him her toys. There wasn’t a lot, but what she had was well cared for and she carefully placed her dolls back where she had picked them up from. He stiffened as he sensed Katie come up behind him. Now she would tell him what his punishment would be. Or would he be sent over to the hall and find out there? 

He started when he felt her hand on his arm and she took a step back in surprise. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just going to offer you some cookies I made earlier today.” Daryl turned and saw her standing uncertainly with a plate of what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies. His mouth fell open a bit in surprise -at her offer and at the sight of real chocolate chip cookies. 

“’m sorry I made ya mad,” he said quietly. 

Katie looked at him curiously. “Mad?”

“Shouldna pried into yer business,” he explained quietly. Katie saw he was avoiding looking at her, and his whole physical demeanor was that of a dog about to be whipped. She timidly lay a hand on his arm and waited to see if he flinched. When she saw him making an effort to control his movements she took her hand away and backed up a step. 

“Daryl, you can always ask me anything you’d like. If I don’t want to answer or feel uncomfortable I’ll tell you. I just don’t like discussing anything about that in Rachel’s hearing. She’ll have to be told when she’s older, but until then I don’t want her to know about it. And I’ll explain more about that too another time. But I’m not mad. I don’t offer to share Rachel’s favorite cookies with people I’m mad at,” and she smiled softly at him. Daryl nodded quietly, still avoiding her gaze. “Do you want to come in the kitchen and have some with some milk?” 

Rachel’s head jerked up and she whooped. “Yes, cookies! My mommy makes the best cookies ever! And she saves the very best for me!” Rachel crowed proudly. 

Daryl smiled slightly. “That so? I ain’t had a chocolate chip cookie homemade in I can’t remember when,” he replied softly. Looking up shyly at Katie he nodded his assent and followed her into the tiny kitchen with Rachel trailing after him keeping up a steady stream of chatter about her school, her toys, helping her mommy bake cookies. Daryl wondered with a pang of homesickness if Judith was talking now and if she was a little chatterbox like Rachel. He sat down on a small bench seat and Rachel clambered on after him, pushing him slightly to make room for her. 

“Rachel!” Katie yelped in exasperation. “Leave Daryl alone now. He might want to eat his cookies in peace,” and she reached to pull Rachel away. Rachel started to squirm and Daryl shook his head. 

“’S’alright, ma’am,” he said quietly. 

Katie straightened quickly and shot him a look. “Ma’am? I’m not some old lady!” she teased. 

Daryl colored and tensed, then realized she was laughing. “Guess that’s my redneck comin’ out,” he mumbled abashedly. 

“Oh, I wasn’t laughing at you,” Katie hurried to explain. “I’ve always heard you Southerners have beautiful manners that put we Northerners to shame. I just haven’t ever been around anyone who called me ma’am,” she said anxiously. 

Daryl rolled a shoulder and took the cookie Rachel handed to him and Katie hurried to fill a sippy cup for Rachel and a regular glass for Daryl of milk. She watched as he seemed to devour the cookies in one bite and guzzled the milk as if he was dying of thirst. Thinking about it she realized belatedly he’d been working out in the hot sun when she’d met him, and now hours later he still hadn’t had anything to eat or drink except for the cookies and milk. 

“You must be starving,” she blurted out. Daryl again rolled a shoulder. “I am the worst host ever. And you’re probably exhausted too. And here I am dragging you around and letting Rachel talk your ear off,” she continued to berate herself. 

“S’okay. Best afternoon I’ve had in a long while,” Daryl replied between bites. 

“Are you staying to eat with us?” Rachel demanded suddenly. 

Again Katie observed his hesitation in meeting her eyes and sensed his unease in replying without approval from her. What in the world had gone on at Patricia’s? 

“Rachel, for heaven’s sake. Daryl has had a long day and he’d probably like to clean up and get some rest,” she began but stopped at the crestfallen expression on Daryl’s face. “Unless of course he would like to eat with us. If he would like to join us he’s more than welcome.” Daryl glanced up and she saw the relief in his features. “If you’d like to clean up you can take a shower here. I can get you a change of clothes from your house and then I can start dinner. It’s nothing fancy-just bossypants favorite.”

“Spaghetti!” Rachel yelled happily. At that Daryl finally smiled a tiny smile. 

“Well that’s my favorite too,” he answered and Rachel clapped her hands. “If it’s not a bother that would be nice ma’am,” he replied to Katie and flushed when he realized he had called her ma’am again. 

“Well if I’m going to be ma’am for now, what do I call you? Sir?” she teased back. 

Daryl ducked his head and shrugged. “Don’t matter much to me, ma….Katie,” he rasped shyly. 

Katie nodded. “Sir it is then, until you get comfortable calling me Katie,” she said laughingly. “I’ll run over and get you a change of clothes while you finish the cookies. Then you can get cleaned up and I promise you Rachel will stay in here with me and not yell through the door at you like she does to me,” Katie laughed as she waved a finger mockingly at Rachel. Rachel waved her finger back at her mother and Katie pulled Rachel into her arms and quickly pressed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead, carrying Rachel with her as she headed out to get Daryl a change of clothes.


	13. Spaghetti Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daryl has dinner with Katie and Rachel

Chapter Thirteen

Dinner for Daryl had been the most relaxed meal he’d ever eaten in his life. Katie and Rachel giggled nonstop, making funny faces at each other and although Rachel made a rather spectacular mess getting spaghetti and sauce all over her face and the table and floor, Katie never made a fuss about any of it. Daryl watched the two interact wistfully. He’d never known any type of meal at home to be in any way enjoyable-that’s if they actually had food for a meal. And with Rick and the others most meals had been hurried affairs, always waiting for an interruption of walkers at first and then later everyone being too stressed and heartsick to enjoy anything. 

Katie at last stood up and laughed at the sight of the spaghetti all over the floor. “C’mon you, it’s time for your bath and then bed. There’s no spaghetti left for you to cover the floor with at this point,” she teased as she began to pull Rachel from her high chair and scrunched her nose at the sight of even more spaghetti falling on the floor. “I’m just going to pop her in the bath and then put her pjs on. I’ll be back in just a bit, eat up whatever you’d like,” she said as she carried Rachel out of the kitchen. Daryl stood immediately and began stacking dishes and carrying items to the sink. He ran water and wet a dishtowel and began wiping down the high chair, the table and the floor rapidly. Daryl’s father had made him the defacto housekeeper after his mother’s death and God help him if his father ever even thought Daryl hadn’t picked up sufficiently. For all that you could clean up a falling down ramshackle piece of shit trailer with furniture scavenged from lawns on garbage day or from the dumpster itself. Not to mention all the holes in the walls from his Pa and then later Merle shooting their guns randomly when they’d gotten truly shithoused. Daryl had spent years cleaning up after first his father then his brother all those years they’d been wandering. His months of living with Patricia had just intensified his normal anxiety over anything that might be deemed a mess.

Daryl felt his stomach twist and his chest grow tight at the memories and he wondered for the millionth time what he would have come to if the dead hadn’t started walking and he’d gotten his head out of his ass and started living like a human instead of some cast off, abandoned and beaten animal. 

He was so intent on getting the dishes done that he didn’t hear Rachel until she slapped her hand on his leg, causing him to flinch sharply in surprise. “C’mon! Mommy’s going to read us a bedtime story,” she crowed. 

Katie frowned at Daryl’s flinching and flushed. “I am so sorry she keeps startling you Daryl,” she started to apologize. Daryl shook his head and rolled a shoulder. 

“Not her fault. Somethin’ I done most a my life, long before I met y’all,” he mumbled quietly. Katie wondered again what the hell had gone at Patricia’s house much less what kind of life this man had led before the virus had hit. 

“C’mon,” Rachel tugged on Daryl’s leg impatiently and he rinsed off the dishrag and draped it neatly before following Rachel into the living room, Katie trailing behind. 

Daryl took a seat on the small couch and Rachel clambered up beside him and arranged herself quickly, leaning against Daryl’s side, holding his hand in her own. 

“Mommy’s reading my favorite tonight. What did your mommy read you?” Rachel asked. 

Katie noticed Daryl’s deer in the headlights look and scrambled to distract Rachel. “Rachel hush, you’re being rude sweetie. I’m sure Daryl doesn’t want to tell his whole life story to a little girl he just met. Be quiet now or I won’t read and you’ll have to go to bed,” Katie said sternly to Rachel. 

“Sorry,” Rachel mumbled up at Daryl, and he saw her little lower lip trembling and recognized the signs of impending tears. 

“That’s okay Rachel. I know yer just tryin’ ta be friendly,” Daryl said hesitantly as if thinking of what to say while he said it. “Truth is my mama wasn’t much for reading so I didn’t get to hear many stories ‘fore bedtime,” he continued quietly. 

Rachel looked at him wide eyed and looked back at her mother, who was holding her breath in the hopes Rachel didn’t anger Daryl by continuing with her nosiness. 

“Oh,” Rachel said solemnly. “Well you can come over here anytime and listen to my mommy read to me, right mommy?” 

Katie sat up, surprised at the question. She noticed both Rachel and Daryl gazing her attentively and blushed. “Well, yes of course,” she stammered out finally. “If Daryl wants to of course. I’m sure he’ll be very busy soon settling in and making new friends and may have other things to do, but if he decides to join us he’ll be more than welcome,” she paused a bit breathlessly. She realized she was holding her breath waiting for his answer and Rachel was looking back and forth between the two of them expectantly. 

Daryl bowed his head in embarrassment and squeezed Rachel’s hands. “That would be nice Rachel,” he said quietly and Katie blew out a sigh of relief, scolding herself inwardly for being so interested in what he answered. 

Rachel smiled and waved at her mother. “C’mon mommy, read it please.” Katie nodded and began to read from the book. Daryl saw the book was called Goodnight Moon and realized he had never heard of it-of course he hadn’t been around many kids in the decades before the virus hit and certainly no small children like Rachel. He hoped someone had thought to get Judith some books to read at bedtime.


	14. After the kids are tucked in....

Chapter Fourteen

Katie hadn’t read more than a few pages when both she and Daryl noticed Rachel had slumped over, her small mouth open slightly and breathing deeply sound asleep. Katie set the book aside and rose to take Rachel to bed but Daryl scooped Rachel up effortlessly and followed Katie to Rachel’s room. Katie turned the nightlight on while Daryl lay Rachel gently down on her bed. He stepped back and watched as Katie tucked Rachel in and kissed her forehead before turning to stop and gaze at him standing there in the doorway. He backed up quickly and walked into the living room thinking he should leave now, go over to the house she had pointed out to him and try to get some sleep or at least decompress from the weirdness of the day-much less the last few months. 

Daryl stood uncertainly and noticed Katie go to the little mantle of the fake fireplace and his mouth dropped open when she pulled out a pack of cigarettes-and not the crappy kind like he’d been smoking ever since the virus hit. 

Katie laughed at the look on his face. “Are you surprised I smoke or that I have the good cigarettes?” she smirked. 

Daryl huffed out a breath. “Both honestly,” he mumbled. 

“Well, a girl has to have at least one vice. I don’t drink, can’t go shopping and spend money, can’t buy expensive cars, or go on exotic vacations. So I smoke. Just one, maybe two some nights after I put Rachel to bed. It’s my adult time,” she says shyly and shrugs. “Would you like one?” she held the pack out to him hesitantly and Daryl nodded and took the proffered pack and shook one out. 

“Ain’t seen these in a long while,” he murmured appreciatively. 

“C’mon, we can sit on the porch. I leave the door open so I can hear Rachel if she wakes up, but most of the time once she’s asleep she is out for a solid eight hours. She’s always been a good sleeper,” Katie explained as she led the way to the porch and took a seat on the swing. Daryl leaned against the porch railing facing her and they both smoked silently for a while. 

“Thank you ma’am….I mean Katie, for having me to dinner and all,” Daryl at last stammered out. 

Katie felt her skin break out in goosebumps. It had been a very long time since she’d been alone with a man-especially one this good looking. And his voice, it reminded her of some old time actors she’d crushed over when she was younger-that up all night, smoking and drinking gravelly type of voice she’d always thought sounded so intensely sexy. 

“You’re very welcome Daryl,” she finally answered. Her hand trembled slightly as she grabbed another cigarette to light and she hoped Daryl didn’t notice. 

Daryl of course did notice her slight trembling and wondered if he’d scared her by anything he’d done. Mentally he cringed-how stupid was he? She didn’t know him at all, and she’d spent the day and half the night entertaining a complete stranger in her home with her little daughter! She was probably hoping he’d go the fuck home now so she could go to bed and get some rest. He had no idea what she’d been doing before she had come and taken him away from Patricia’s. He was a monumental idiot. She would be sorry tomorrow that she’d brought his sorry ass back here. 

Daryl stood suddenly, startling Katie into dropping her lit cigarette. She bent immediately to pick it back up and bumped heads with Daryl who had as well reached for it. 

“Ow!” she’d laughed and rubbed her head lightly. 

Daryl hunched his shoulders and quickly handed the cigarette to her. “’M sorry again, I best get goin’ so you can get some rest. Sure yer tired of me hangin’ around like this,” he mumbled and turned to go. 

Katie reached for his arm and he flinched at the touch of her skin on his. “God, I’m so sorry I keep startling you like that,” she apologized. “And I’m not tired of you. It’s been nice to have another adult around all day -I’m by myself or with Rachel most days and it was nice to have some company,” she stammered shyly. 

Daryl peered closely at her trying to discern whether or not she was just being polite. 

“Seriously, please stay a bit longer. It’s just nice to have another adult around. Unless you’re tired and want to go home,” she finished softly. 

Daryl nodded and moved to lean against the railing again while Katie relit her cigarette again and settled back on the swing. 

“In the morning I’ll go over and let the rest of the council know you’re here. We can send word to your friends with the caveat that they not try to visit until you’re ready to see them again. I can’t not send any kind of word-that would be cruel for your friends and I couldn’t bear the thought of them continuing to worry over where you are. Would that be okay?” she asked quietly. 

Daryl hesitated, then nodded. “Yer right, but I don’t want them to come up here. Not now, maybe not ever. I just…..I can’t,” he rasped. 

Katie nodded in agreement. “Okay then, that’s what we’ll do. Do you have anything at Patricia’s we need to get for you?”

She stiffened at the angry glare he turned on her. “No,” he spit out. “I never want to see that bitch again -don’t want nothin’ from that fuckin’ house neither,” he gritted out. 

Katie nodded quickly. “Okay,” she said soothingly. “But I’m going to find out what the hell went on over there from Aileen and Patricia and whatever she did she’ll be held accountable for it,” she continued quietly. “That is your story to tell when and if you ever want to tell it. I won’t ever ask you about it,” she promised and saw the relief wash over Daryl’s face. She stifled a yawn and saw Daryl look wistfully toward the living room. “you know, it’s always difficult for me to get settled in a new place the first night or so. If you’d like to bunk with us tonight, that’s okay. The sofa pulls out and you can have breakfast with us in the morning. If you’d like,” she offered shyly. 

Daryl glanced quickly at her. “Ya don’t know me. I could be some crazy murderer or somethin’. Why would ya invite me like that?” he asked her wonderingly. 

Katie bit her lip thoughtfully. “I guess I trust my daughter. Rachel’s never been as friendly or comfortable with anyone before like she has been with you today. If she trusts you, so do I.” Katie turned her face away to hide her blushing. 

Daryl nodded considering the offer. He wanted more than anything to stay here with Katie and Rachel, but he felt like he also needed some time alone to think about what happened today and what would happen now. 

“I thank ya for the offer, Katie. But I think I need to be by myself tonight anyway. Kinda wrap my mind around what happened today. But I really do thank you for everything today. You and Rachel are the nicest two people I’ve met in a long while,” and Daryl stubbed his cigarette out and headed down the steps toward his own house. Katie stood and watched him cross the road and go into his house before she sighed and cleaning up the cigarettes went into her own house and closed the door.


	15. Evasions and Postponements.

Chapter fifteen

The next day after Daryl had eaten bfast with Katie and Rachel, Katie walked Daryl over to the maintenance shop and introduced him to the group of men there. She told him until they got everything settled at the other camp and with her own council they’d have him apprentice at something he was at least familiar with. Katie felt guilty leaving him there, like leaving Rachel at daycare the first day, but she had to go talk to the council and have some sort of investigation launched into the activities of Patricia and her group. 

At the hall, Katie told the other members what little she had been able to glean from her observations at Patricia’s the day before. Aileen had already filled the council in about she and Katie’s visit to Patricia’s after they’d spoken with the trader. 

“That entire community needs to be investigated,” Katie spat out angrily. “I’m sure Daryl isn’t the first person to have been held there against their will and under God knows what circumstances,” she concluded. She glanced around her council and frowned at the lack of indignation that she herself felt about the situation. 

One of the women, just a few years older than Katie, raised a placating hand. “We’ll certainly conduct an investigation, but I’m sure there’s only a few bad apples over there. You can’t let the bad blood between you and Patricia color everything…”

“Bad blood?!” Katie shot back. “You know what happened, and that anyone in my place would have the same opinion of Patricia that I do. She’s unstable emotionally and mentally and should be watched.”

Another woman tut tutted softly. “Let’s not rush to judgement everyone,” she said soothingly. Katie gritted her teeth at that-this was not a situation they could take their time discussing while drinking their coffee and tea. Patricia needed to be dealt with swiftly and that entire community needed to be cleaned out of anyone with attitudes and ideas similar to Patricia’s. Unfortunately Katie had come to realize the longer she was in this community that many of the inhabitants had grown complacent within the safety of the walls and seemed reluctant to acknowledge or address the problems cropping up within these walls. 

“Where is Patricia now?” Katie demanded. 

“She’s back home. We told her we’d be questioning her soon, as well as the other residents,” stated a third woman. 

Katie snorted in disgust. “You let her go home? Without some type of questioning here?” 

“Why yes, until the entire situation is investigated she might as well be home. Where did you think she’d go?”

Katie’s mouth dropped open then snapped shut. “I would’ve thought someone here would have had enough sense to keep her here-in the jail for God’s sake. What she did is wrong, illegal. Even in this world gone to hell I would hope holding someone against their will -treating them like a slave-would still be illegal.” Without waiting for a response, Katie turned on her heel and stormed out of the hall. 

Striding angrily across the streets Katie burst into the clinic hoping to find Aileen. Another woman she recognized as one of the rotating physicians came around a corner after Katie called Aileen’s name. 

“Hi Katie, everything alright?” the woman asked. 

Katie shook her head. “No I need to talk to Aileen, is she here?” 

The other woman shook her head. “No sorry, she headed out to another settlement west of here. She’ll be back in a few days. Is it something I can help with?” 

Katie sighed in frustration. “No, but thanks. I’ll just wait to catch her when she’s back,” she bit out and turned and left. 

Needing something an outlet for her frustration Katie headed to the commissary and decided to spend her day constructively-she’d cook up some healthy snacks for the community and for Rachel and Daryl. There was already some early fruits brought in by traders that she could use and she could make some type of soup and put enough away for she and Rachel and Daryl if he joined them. As she began setting out bowls and ingredients her mind was diverted and her mood lifted.


	16. It's about to hit the fan

Chapter Sixteen 

Over the course of the next few weeks, Daryl and Katie fall into an unspoken routine-he eats dinner with them after his day at the shop and a quick clean up at his place. He stays every night to hear a story with Rachel and then he and Katie tuck her in like they did the first night. Then they smoke a bit and he goes home reluctantly. To toss and turn often waking up from nightmares of either his family, or Negan or what came after with the traders and Patricia. 

Every few days Katie grills her fellow councilwomen about Patricia. She had missed the opportunity to speak with Aileen-Aileen had been delayed at another settlement for an indefinite amount of time. She tried her best not to bring the subject up to Daryl-the one or two times she had attempted to discuss the situation she had seen how quickly he had shut down so she had ceased mentioning Patricia or anything to do with her. 

Katie also observed that during the day Daryl was still hesitant to voice his opinion to anyone, has difficulty meeting anyone’s eyes and has a difficult time being at ease with anyone other than Rachel and Katie-and he still flinches or starts when he is touched. Their conversations on the porch after Rachel is put to bed are becoming more comfortable however and Katie finds herself thinking of this as “their time”. And finds herself flushing and stammering sometimes late at night when Daryl stands up to leave for his house. Feeling like she did when she was younger at the end of a date-wondering if or when the boy in question would kiss her. 

Three weeks after he arrives, Daryl had gone to dinner at Katie’s as usual after work the previous day and had been surprised when some of her friends came over after they’d eaten and Rachel had been put to bed. He’d sat there in silence listening to the other women talk about what a saint Katie’s husband had been-never raised his voice, always willing to lend a hand, blah blah blah. The more he heard the more he became convinced Katie was being nice to him out of pity-why else would a woman like her spend any time at all with a piece of shit like him who’d been through such degrading and humiliating experiences-and not just from the time he was taken to Negan’s. His whole life had been one humiliating and painful episode after another. 

He left without a goodbye when he at last saw an opening to leave and had spent a sleepless night tossing and turning-he’d dreamt of his search for Sophia, and in the dream she would always turn into Beth stumbling out of the barn as a walker. Then he’d dreamt of his mother grabbing him and holding him down so he could burn up with her. He had finally given up at two, stumbled out to the porch to spend the rest of the night smoking one cigarette after another-reflecting bitterly that first his family and now the last few months had ruined his chance at ever having any chance at having anything good or stable in his life. He was nothing before the dead came alive-now both Negan and Patricia had stripped what little niche he’d carved out for himself with his family. Daryl sat and smoked, mulling the idea of packing up and heading out alone-going as far away from his family and this camp as he could. Somewhere in the mountains where he could be alone. 

Daryl skipped eating bfast with Katie and Rachel and mid morning she came to the shop concerned he didn’t show up. She mentions that she’s worried the council isn’t doing what they need to regarding Patricia and asks him to give an account of how he came to be at Patricia’s compound and what had transpired there. He turns and glares at her and snarls his answer back. “Ain’t got nothin’ ta say,” he grits out as he’s sorting through the tools. 

“Daryl, you have plenty to say..” she begins. 

“No goddammit I ain’t!” he yells, his voice growing louder and his face flushing. Katie tries to lay her hand on his arm and he flings her off roughly. “Fuck, can’t ya get it through yer head that I want ta be left the fuck alone?!” he yells louder. “Why ya gotta always be touchin’ me? Ya can see I don’t like it, but ya always doin’ it. Just get the fuck off me and leave me the fuck alone,” he snarls and stomps out of the shop and heads out to a field where he’s working on a project with some of the other men. 

Katie bit her lip to keep from crying and told herself he didn’t mean it, he’s been through a lot and he is just overwhelmed. She heads to the clinic where she finds Aileen just back from the other settlement. 

“Aileen,” Katie exclaims. “I’m glad you’re back. I can’t get anyone to do anything about Patricia. She should be in jail for what she did to Daryl. And I’m sure she’s not the only one over there with dirty hands.”

Aileen frowns. “What do you mean? I told the council what we’d seen-what we believed had been going on. Where is Patricia now?” 

Katie blew out a breath. “They let her go home that same day. She’s been back in her community this whole time.”

Aileen shook her head in disgust. “You can’t be serious.”

Katie nodded. “Yes I am. I think you and I should both talk to the council again. Maybe the two of us together can convince them to move faster on this. I just don’t feel comfortable with Patricia free to do whatever she wants. She could very well have someone else over there in Daryl’s place.” 

Aileen nodded in agreement. “Alright, let’s go now and see if we can talk to anyone with any sense over there.”

A short while later -after an intense and heated discussion between all the council members and Aileen and Katie-it’s decided that Aileen and Katie along with two other councilwomen will ride over today to Patricia’s settlement and bring Patricia back for more questioning.


	17. Never Underestimate Your Enemy

Chapter 17

The group arrives at Patricia’s settlement and go to the hall to find Patricia sitting at the council dais with her friends. Patricia smirks at them. “I was so hoping you’d bring my boy with you, but I can always fetch him later,” she sneers. 

Aileen frowns. “What in the world are you talking about?” she snaps. 

The four women are ringed in by Patricia’s friends. Patricia stands up and strolls toward them. “You barged in here and took my property from me. And you keep trying to stick your noses in my business. This is my camp-you don’t have any say in what goes on here. You’re going to pay for your interference now,” she spits out. 

Aileen glares back. “What the hell are you talking about? That man was not your property, and you’re not going to threaten us.”

Patricia slapped Aileen sharply. “You”re like damn dogs with a bone-you won’t stop digging and digging into our business. This is our camp, it’ll be run the way we want. And I’m not threatening you, I’m telling you that I’m going to make you sorry you ever crossed me.”

Katie opens her mouth and lightening quick Patricia strikes her in the face. Katie lets out a yelp and places her hand to her face. 

“You of all people don’t have any business telling me what to do. Acting holier than thou, the grieving widow, the selfless mother of a young child,” she rants, “when if truth be told you’re nothing but a fucking whore,” she explodes and strikes Katie again, knocking her down. Aileen moves to help Katie and Patricia grabs her arm roughly. “You aren’t any better you bitch-you had to know what was going on here-you’re just mad we didn’t invite you to stay here so you could pick some man for yourself,” she sneered again. 

The other two women made shocked noises and were grabbed roughly by some of Ps companions. 

“Take them to that processing room and lock them up. They can stay there until I decide what to do with them,” she barked and the two women were dragged off protesting. “As for you,” she said to Aileen, “I have no use for two faced bitches,” and with a nod to one of her friends, Aileen’s head was jerked back and her throat slit, after which she was thrown to the floor gurgling blood. 

Katie let out a shocked scream and P approached her and stood over her. “Oh that’s nothing compared to what I have in store for you, bitch,” she bit out and dragged K roughly to her feet. “I’ve got a special treat for you,” she whispered and nodded. 

Katie was roughly held while they stripped her of her clothing -she twisted and turned and fought to no avail. She was in a short time stripped naked and standing in front of Patricia. Patricia nodded again and Katie’s hands were tied tightly behind her back, a gag thrust in her mouth and a bag placed over her head. Katie’s heart began to thump wildly and she trembled. She was having a difficult time breathing underneath the stuffy bag, and the gag wasn’t helping her anxiety any. “Now for some fun,” Patricia crooned and Katie was roughly jerked stumbling along for a few minutes. 

She was stopped and strained to hear what was being said. She could hear Patricia’s voice faintly and then to her growing horror she heard two or three male voices as well. She suddenly felt rough hands on her breasts and buttocks and legs. She was turned here and there, the rough hands examining her in places no one had touched since her husband had died. She cried out, but the gag stifled her screams. The men laughed cruelly and became rougher in their handling of her. 

“You can try her later, for now I want you out of here as quickly as possible before anyone comes looking for her,” she heard Patricia say. 

Katie was thrown over someone’s shoulder and carried away. She felt the sun and air on her skin before she was dumped into what felt like a trunk, the door slammed and the vehicle started up. Her wrists ached, her skin jerked and tingled uncomfortably from the men’s rough touch and she whimpered at the thought of Rachel.


	18. Where is Katie?

Chapter 18

Daryl spent the afternoon regretting his tantrum and yelling at Katie. He berated himself for acting no different than he had with Beth, only this time he didn’t have the excuse of being drunk on moonshine for his stupidity. As soon as he finished work, he started to jog toward Katie’s house when he noticed a group gathering at the hall. As he got closer, he saw the daycare teacher holding a sobbing Rachel. He moved through the crowd cautiously and is spotted by one of Katie’s friends. She motioned him over and seeing the frightened look on her face, his chest tightened. 

“Katie went with Aileen and Nora and Shelly to Patricia’s compound. They were supposed to be back hours ago…” she trailed off softly, glancing Rachel’s direction.

Daryl felt his gut clench and sweat began trickling down his back. 

“Has anyone gone over there to see what the hell is going on?” he spits out impatiently. He curses when he sees the confused looks on their faces. “No one has thought to go the fuck over there? Then give me a vehicle and some guns and ammo and I’ll go. We need to get over to that compound -I don’t trust anyone over there,” he rasps anxiously. 

“You can’t go looking for her by yourself,” begins one woman. 

“Well I don’t see anyone else volunteering dammit,” he yells. “If none of ya got any damn balls to go over there and find out what the hell is going on then get me what I need so I can go,” he yelled again. 

One of the maintenance men stepped forward. “I’ll go with you,” he said quietly. Daryl realized the man’s name was Stuart and that he seemed to be the de facto supervisor of the maintenance men. A couple of other men stepped forward as well as a few women. D nodded and they walked as a group to the warehouse where vehicles were kept and serviced as well as to the armory for weapons and ammunition. 

Within a short while a caravan of five cars with fifteen people sped out of the gates in the direction of Patricia’s camp. 

Daryl cursed as his anxiety rose on the drive over to Patricia’s. He had a very bad feeling about all of this, and his mind kept returning to how he’d acted earlier in the day towards Katie. What if Patricia had hurt her? He would have another woman he had failed on his conscious. Another person he would spend the rest of his life regretting how he had treated. 

At last they come to the gates of the other compound and after honking repeatedly Patricia appeared at the watchtower of the gate. 

“If you’re looking for Katie, you’re too late. She went on a little trip with some friends of mine-you probably know them Daryl,” Patricia yelled, and laughed rudely. Daryl felt his heart drop and he clenched the wheel until his knuckles went white. 

“I’ll fucking kill you, you bitch,” he yelled back furiously. 

“I guess you can do that later. Better go look for your friend now before she gets handed around too much,” and she broke off laughing again. 

Daryl pounded the steering wheel in a rage until Stuart laid his hand on Daryl’s arm. Daryl started and tried to calm himself enough to think. 

“The traders go three or four different ways,” Stuart said quietly. “We’ll split up and each take a route. These trucks have military issue CB radio systems, so we can keep up with each other while we look. We’ll radio back and let our council know they need to get over here and find Aileen and the other two women,” he continued calmly. He stepped out of the truck and repeated his plan to the other members of the group and they turned off and headed in other directions. He climbed back in the truck and nodded at Daryl. “Lets go. We need to find her before she gets traded off again,” he said urgently. Daryl nodded and sped out in the direction the man pointed him in.


	19. Tracking

Chapter 14

They drive through the night and halfway through the next day-stopping at stray encampments along the way, always asking if anyone had come through with a redheaded woman. Late in the afternoon they came on a truck broken down on the side of the road. Daryl approached them cautiously, his gun drawn and ready. 

“Hey,” he rasped, “Y’all been here long?” 

The three men looked at each other and snickered stupidly. “Just since about noon. Needed the rest though to tell the truth,” the biggest man said. 

“Why’s that?” Daryl asked. 

“Had us a busy night with a nice little piece we picked up yesterday afternoon. Goddam she was a feisty bitch. Pretty redhead, pity that bitch at that place we got her beat her up like she did. Still, her tits were good and perky, and her ass hadn’t got that spread most bitches do. And tight, fuck her pussy was tight as a virgin’s,” he continued boasting, never noticing the mask of sheer fury settling on Daryl’s features. 

“Where is she now?” Stuart asked, seeing that Daryl was too enraged for speech. 

“Hell we traded her off to some guy who said he’d take her as payment for getting someone out here to help us. But I’m beginin’ to think we was lied to,” a second man whined. 

A noise started emanating from Daryl’s throat, a rumble, almost a growl. 

“What the fuck is wrong with him,” the big man demanded of Stuart. 

“She was his,” Stuart said quickly. “She was promised to him, and that bitch at the compound has his money and he doesn’t have that redhead,” Stuart said and watched as Daryl leaned over to spit the taste of copper from his mouth where he’d nearly bitten a hole in his cheek upon hearing these men. 

The big man nodded in sympathy. “Fuck, I’d be mad ‘bout that too. That redhead was a sweet piece, by the time you catch up she’ll be used up unless you catch up quick.” He nodded again at the truth of what he was saying. 

“What direction did the asshole take her,” demanded Stuart. 

“Said he was going east, I think,” said the man who until now had been quiet. 

Daryl jerked his gun up menacingly. “Fuck that, tell me which way he went,” he said quietly. 

The second man yelped at the sight of the gun aimed at them and began to stammer. “Really, we ain’t sure. He headed off that way,” and he pointed east. 

Daryl glared at the other two men who nodded in agreement. “You best hope you’re right,” he mumbled and rapidly shot them dead in the center of their foreheads. He climbed back into the truck without looking at them and Stewart hopped in as Daryl gunned the engine and sped off. 

Evening approached and Stuart stole frequent glances at Daryl. “We need to switch, you’re not in any condition to drive anymore,” he said quietly. Daryl shot a glare at him. “I mean it. You aren’t going to help Katie if we wind up wrapped around something or in a ditch. I’ll drive. I know you won’t sleep, but at least try and stay quiet for a while,” he persisted. Daryl shook his head stubbornly. “Daryl, goddammit. Use your head. If you don’t rest up, we’ll wreck. Or be so exhausted that when we do find her you’ll be of no use to her. You’ll get yourself killed or both of us caught. You need to get your head clear goddammit,” the man’s voice rose angrily. 

Daryl nodded at last and reluctantly pulled over and they quickly changed seats. Daryl sat up straight staring silently out the window into the darkness, his mind turning restlessly over all the awful things that could be happening to Katie. 

“Torturing yourself ain’t gonna help her either,” Stuart said suddenly, surprising Daryl. “Lean the fuck back, and close your eyes. Try and get your head clear,” he said quietly. Daryl glared a minute at him, then reluctantly eased the seat back slightly and crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes briefly so he could make a plan-just like he used to do the night before he went hunting. Or more recently the night before he and his family moved on, or went on a run, or attacked Negan’s men.


	20. Found

Chapter 20

Daryl sat up quickly at the sensation of the truck stopping. He looked around blearily and realized with a start he had indeed fallen asleep-a brief sleep but sleep nonetheless. He faintly recognizes some of the types of vehicles as the type he’d been transported in. He motions to Stuart to ease up and park a bit away so they can get their bearings. 

“Your best bet is to continue that lie I told back there. Patricia was supposed to hold her for you, and now you’re looking for her. If they think you’re as shitty as they are, they might not give us any grief.” Stuart suggested. Daryl nodded quietly, his stomach turning and he shivered as if he was out in the cold. 

They cautiously approached the camp and when stopped at the gate tell the man there that they are there to pick up some bitches for their camp. The guard claps them on the backs and laughs and lets them in. Daryl gives Stuart a look of disgust and Stuart nods quietly. 

They wander the camp, and Daryl felt sick as he observed men and women tied up, manacled or penned up like he had been. He watched men and women roughly examining these unfortunate people, and he grew more anxious by the minute. Finally he stopped in front of a curtained off area guarded by two brutal looking men. 

His throat had run dry, he can’t speak. On the one hand, if Katie is in here he can get her free. But what will he see when he goes in? On the other hand, if she isn’t in here his chance of finding her anytime soon gets more and more impossible. 

“What ya got goin’ on in here?” Stuart at last asks, seeing Daryl too strung out with anxiety to speak. 

“Oh we got a really fine bitch in here. Beat up a bit, but still got some fight in her. Boss is thinking of keeping her and hiring her out. She’ll be a beauty once her bruises fade,” one of the men boasted. 

“Really? What makes her so special?” Stuart asks, keeping an eye on Daryl. 

“Just that her pussy is so tight, she knows how to use her mouth right and she’s got a great set of tits on her. Boss hasn’t broke her ass in yet, but he says that’ll come in time.” 

Daryl made a choked sound and Stuart hurried to explain. 

“That so? Well let me ask you this, is she a redhead?”

The two men looked surprised. “Yeah, why?” one sneers. 

“Just so happens my friend here had paid for a pretty redhead and when we went to pick her up she’d been sold to someone else. Treacherous bitch.” 

The men nodded in sympathy. “Did you teach her a lesson?”

“One she won’t soon forget,” Stuart continued smoothly, while he watched Daryl struggle to contain his fury. 

“Well, if you have the right amount I’m sure my boss will sell her to back to you. Maybe. He seems to really like this one,” the larger of the two men said. 

Daryl huffed out an angry breath. “Fuck that. Already paid once for her. Lemme see her before we do any bargaining. If it’s her then we can talk,” he growled. 

One guard nodded and ducked into the private area. A few minutes later he reappeared and waved Daryl in. Stuart elected to stay outside, keeping his eyes on their surroundings and his gun at the ready. 

Daryl followed the man into a dim, cramped room to find Katie on her knees while some man gripped her hair and yanked her mouth up and down his dick. Her hands were tied behind her and another man was knelt behind her squeezing and pinching her nipples. His bare dick rubbed against her buttocks and as Daryl watched the man grabbed her waist and started to lift her to position so that he could thrust himself into her from behind. Katie choked on the first man’s dick as she was roughly moved and the man yelled and cuffed her sharply. Daryl could see her eyes were squeezed shut as tears streamed down her cheeks. 

“Get your fuckin’ hands off her,” Daryl burst out, unable to watch anymore. Katie’s eyes flew open and she struggled to move away from her position.


	21. Negotiations

Chapter 21

Both men stopped and stared at Daryl as he stood there furious, his gun drawn and aimed towards them. 

“Who the fuck are you,” the man kneeling behind Katie demanded, his arm around her neck to hold her still while with his free hand he continued to roughly grasp and squeeze her breasts. 

“I’m the man who owns her,” Daryl growled. Katie’s eyes snapped up and she gasped in pain as the man holding her jerked her around the neck tighter. 

“The fuck you say,” the man holding Katie rasped, glaring at Daryl. “We paid for our time with this bitch and I ain’t gonna get screwed out of it,” he spat out. 

The other man who’d been shoving his dick down Katie’s throat started to sidle away. “C’mon Len, there’s plenty more sluts in here we can take a turn on. We don’t need ta get in any fuss over this one,” he whined. 

“You should listen to your friend,” Daryl gritted out, barely holding his rage back as the man he spoke to continued to grip Katie around the neck. “I bought her and some cunt sold her before I could come to collect her.” Daryl growled. “I took care a her, and the fuckers she sold my property to. Y’all best get the fuck out of here before I add the both of you to that list,” Daryl spat out as he advanced toward the man holding Katie.

The man who had whined shook his head and backed away more. “You can have her mister. I ain’t picky. C’mon Len, let’s go,” he pleaded again as he hastily shrugged his clothes on. 

The man holding Katie started to shake his head then stopped, looking past Daryl suddenly. Daryl stiffened, wondering who was behind him. 

“Best loosen your grip on that gal and get,” Daryl heard Stuart snarl from behind him. Daryl felt a small wave of relief wash over him at the realization that Stuart had his back. 

The man holding Katie shoved her viciously and backed away, snatching his clothes on while glaring at Daryl and Stuart. “Fuck y’all anyway,” he mumbled as he backed out another doorway. 

Daryl crossed to where Katie knelt and quickly untied her hands. She fell against his chest sobbing and shaking. Stuart handed Daryl a sheet he pulled off a cot and Daryl helped Katie wrap it about her. 

“I got ya girl,” he whispered to her as he helped her stand. 

“The fuck you do,” they heard a voice snap from behind them.


	22. Rescue

Chapter 22

Another man strode into the room and gazed angrily at Daryl. “What the fuck is this shit about her being yours?” he demanded. 

“I bought her a few days ago,” Daryl replied, surprised at how easily the lie was getting to tell. “The slut I bought her from sold her before I could pick her up. Guess she thought I wouldn’t care that she’d taken my money and screwed me over.” He growled. 

“How did you find me?” the man asked curiously. 

“Those three pieces of shit you got her from. Came up on them, they gave me your name and the direction you went in,” he replied, rubbing Katie’s back soothingly as he kept a wary eye on the man. 

“Those assholes. They’re going to pay for running their mouths,” he spat. 

“Already took care of them for ya. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ll be taking my property here and  
heading out.”

The man moved to block Daryl’s passage. “No you ain’t. She’s mine. How the fuck do I know you’re even telling the truth? Ya gotta fuckin’ receipt?” he sneered. 

Daryl noticed the large guard leering at Katie, who was still huddled against his chest sobbing. He stood still, trying to figure out who to shoot first when the curtain parted and some of the men that had been in another truck walked in. 

“Thought we might have some trouble, so I radioed and made sure a few friends could join us here,” Stuart said calmly. Daryl’s mouth dropped open a little in surprise and confusion. 

Stuart nodded quietly at the man arguing with Daryl. “There’s a few more outside this little tent or whatever the fuck it is. You can either stand there and keep your mouth shut and we leave, or you can be stupid and we’ll kill you. Make the right choice.” 

Daryl struggled to keep the surprise and shock off his face. In the short time he’d worked with the man, Stuart had never cursed, raised his voice or showed any sign whatsoever that he was a force to be reckoned with. Daryl realized he’d have to rethink his whole opinion of Stuart as well as pretty much all the other men he had been working with. 

To Daryl’s relief, the man grudgingly nodded in agreement and Stuart waved Daryl and Katie out of the entrance, choosing to back out of the tent with the two other men from their camp, keeping a close eye on the man and his guard. 

Outside the tent Daryl was relieved to find eight other men and women waiting for he and Katie. The group closed around he and Katie and they strode quickly out to the parking area. Daryl turned to make sure Stuart and the other men were following and when he saw they were he quickly swung Katie up in his arms and began to jog toward the truck he had arrived in. Stuart joined him and motioned for Daryl to get in the back seat with her and the two men clambered up front with Stuart driving. 

“Three of the trucks are going ahead to our compound,” Stuart explained, gazing at Daryl’s reflection in the rearview mirror. “The other truck will travel with us. Just in case any of these assholes decide to follow us.” He stopped speaking and nodded at Daryl and gunned the engine as they sped off. 

D pulled Katie to his side cautiously and pressed her head against his chest. “I got ya now,” he murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her arm, his free hand clasping both of hers tightly. Katie shivered and her teeth began to chatter-something he recognized as shock. Something he knew he had done a lot of while at Negan’s, then while being traded and finally at Patricia’s. Daryl pulled Katie closer and ran his hands up and down her arms hoping to warm her up some, though he knew her shivering wasn’t from the cold.


	23. Deliverance

Chapter 23

They drove through the night and into the next morning, finally arriving back at the compound just after midday. Stuart had pulled up in front of Katie’s house and Daryl scooped her up and carried her up the little walkway and opening the door and kicking it shut carried her straight to the bathroom. “Reckon ya wanna clean up -I’ll find somethin’ for ya ta eat,” Daryl mumbled as he set Katie gently down on her feet. Katie swayed and then righted herself, nodding silently and avoiding Daryl’s gaze. “Girl,” he said and turned Katie’s face up to him, “don’t ever think ya can’t look me in the face. What happened back there…..I was in a place kinda like that ‘fore Patricia got ahold a me,” he mumbled and Katie’s eyes snapped up to meet his. Daryl nodded toward the shower. “Take yer time, I’ll get ya somethin’ ta eat. Do ya want me to get Rachel?” Katie nodded and choked back a sob. Daryl nodded again and turned to give her some privacy. Katie grasped his wrist and he turned to look at her. 

“Thank you Daryl,” she whispered, voice rough from her crying. 

Daryl ducked his head and rolled a shoulder. “Ain’t nothing, least I could do for ya after all ya done for me.” He paused and hesitantly turned his hand so that her hand rested in his palm and he lightly squeezed it. “I owe ya an apology. Shouldn’t have talked to ya the way I did ….that mornin’” he stammered out. He bit his lip and shook his head slightly. “Don’t know what I’d a done if that had been the last thing I said to ya.” He made a small noise and to Katie it sounded almost like a stifled sob. Before she could say anything Daryl dropped her hand and strode rapidly to the front door, heading out to find Rachel. 

Katie turned and started the shower, as hot as she could stand it, and after steam began to rise and fill the room she stripped off Daryl’s tshirt and stepped under the stream of water and began to scrub the physical evidence of the last few days away. She wasn’t fool enough to think that a shower would make her feel like herself again-no matter how hard or often she scrubbed she would never be able to wash away how she felt on the inside. 

Katie emerged from the bathroom from a cloud of steam-she’d turned the water as hot as she could stand it and now her skin was a faint pink from the heat and vigorous scrubbing she’d given herself. She had just dressed in her sleep pants and an old tshirt when she heard Daryl and Rachel come in the front door. She burst into tears again at the sound of Rachel’s voice and hurried into the front room. Rachel squealed at seeing her and as Katie knelt down Rachel almost leapt into her arms. Daryl watched as Katie sobbed while she clutched Rachel fiercely to her and to his surprise Rachel didn’t try to squirm away. Daryl realized that while he had thought Rachel a strong willed and curious child she was also very in tune to her mother’s feelings and had picked up that her mother needed to hold her close for a bit. 

While the two embraced Daryl strode to the kitchen and set out on the table the food that had been foisted upon him from the women who had gathered at the hall after they’d gotten word Katie would soon be returning. They had given Daryl half a dozen casserole dishes in a few cloth bags and he set them out for Katie to inspect and select from. He knew he should eat as well, but he had no desire for food and felt he was running on bare nerves at this point. 

As he laid the last dish on the table Katie and Rachel walked in and Rachel started chattering to Katie about the different food the other women had sent. Katie looked over Rachel’s head at Daryl and Daryl saw she looked absolutely lost. 

“Hey Rachel, why don’t ya help me fix yer ma a plate and she can sit down a bit and relax?” Daryl said quietly and Rachel quickly nodded and pushed Katie towards a chair. 

As Katie sat, Rachel turned to Daryl and frowned. “You’re staying right?” she demanded. 

Katie laid a hand on Rachel’s arm. “Oh honey, we’ve imposed on Daryl long enough. I’m sure he wants to get back to his own house,” she murmured. Daryl heard the slight tremble in her voice and knew there was no way in hell he was leaving her alone the first night back in her house after what she’d just been through. 

“Well, Rachel, that’s up to yer mama,” he said quietly, ignoring Katie’s remark. “If yer ma doesn’t mind, it would be nice to stay a while and visit,” he answered and looked tentatively at Katie. Even if she said no, he would find a way to stick close tonight. He’d slept on a porch before, wouldn’t bother him to do it again. 

“Are you sure?” Katie asked Daryl, and his chest hurt seeing the uncertainty there in her face. 

Daryl nodded and sat down across from her and Rachel scrambled into his lap, surprising both Daryl and Katie. “Oh, Rachel, come sit in your chair,” Katie admonished quickly. 

Rachel shook her head stubbornly. “I wanna sit here,” Rachel huffed out. Daryl shook his head at Katie and she relaxed and watched Rachel rattle on about what she’d been doing in school while the two of them had been absent. Within a short while Rachel’s eyes began to flutter and she began leaning more heavily against Daryl, settling herself against him more comfortably. Katie shook her head in amusement at the sight and Daryl felt himself wondering again what Judith was doing. 

Katie stood and came to take Rachel from Daryl and although it was early evening he stood and carried Rachel to her bed. Katie took Rachel’s shoes and socks off and pulled a sheet over her, turned on the night light and turned to find Daryl standing in the hallway watching her quietly. They stood gazing at each other silently for a bit and then Daryl glanced away and began biting his thumb anxiously. 

“I can stay…if ya want…..can sleep on the sofa or on the floor. Hell I can sleep on the front porch if ya’d rather.” He rolled a shoulder and risked a glance at her face. Seeing the surprise there, he began to stammer a bit unsure how she felt about his offer. 

Katie nodded rapidly. “Yes, please,” she rasped, feeling relieved. She had not been looking forward to being alone in the house with Rachel. At least not the first night back home. “I know it’s early yet, but I’m exhausted. Can you stay in the room with me while I lie down a while?” she stammered. Her face turned a bright red and she covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to say that, but the truth was she would feel safer if Daryl was right there with her and not in another room if she woke up suddenly. 

Daryl felt his own face heat up and he told himself not to be an idiot-she didn’t like him like that, she just didn’t want to be by herself in case she got scared. He was lucky she was speaking to him after he’d yelled at her like that that morning. 

Katie took a deep breath to calm herself and motioned for Daryl to follow her into her bedroom. Daryl saw with relief that the bed was large -big enough that if he did lay on it he wouldn’t be right next to her. Daryl helped Katie arrange the covers and pillows and excused himself to make a trip to the bathroom before settling in for the night. When he returned he saw Katie had settled in on what he assumed was her side of the bed and had turned all but one small light out. Daryl removed his shoes and laid on top of the covers on his side of the bed on his back and stared quietly up at the ceiling -listening to Katie’s breathing and knowing she was wide awake like he was. Daryl was just about to attempt to say something, anything, when Rachel came into the room. 

“Mommy,” she whispered loudly. Daryl and Katie both sat up and looked toward the doorway. 

“What is it, what’s wrong?” Katie asked anxiously. 

“I don’t wanna sleep by myself. I wanna sleep with you,” Rachel whined. Katie looked sideways at Daryl and he shrugged. 

“Okay,” Katie started, and Rachel leapt up onto the bed and crawled up between Katie and Daryl and lay down happily. “Oh Rachel, you can’t sleep there. You kick and you’ll end up kicking Daryl. I don’t think he’d like that,” Katie said. Daryl could hear the fatigue in her voice. 

“She’s alright. My brother used to kick me a lot too when we was younger and slept in the same bed sometimes. I doubt she kicks as bad or as hard as Merle did,” Daryl murmured and Rachel giggled. He turned on his side to face Katie and she lay back down on her side facing Daryl with Rachel in between them. 

“Alright, you got your way again miss,” Katie whispered teasingly, “now close your eyes and go to sleep, no goofing around,” she finished and pressed a kiss to Rachel’s cheek. Rachel turned on her side to face Daryl and scooted herself up against Katie. Daryl saw Rachel wiggle and settle herself in against her mother and close her eyes. Before he could count ten Rachel was fast asleep and glancing at Katie Daryl saw she was not far behind. He lay awake watching Katie and Rachel sleep and he realized just how attached to these two he had become in the short while he’d known them.


	24. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long since an update-work has been savage the last couple of months, lots of stress and angst. Hopefully things smooth out after next month and I can get back to a more regular writing schedule. Thanks for your patience, and we hope you continue to enjoy our chapters.

Chapter 24

Daryl had always been an extremely light sleeper, awake at the slightest noise or movement near him. He opened his eyes instantly when he felt a slight movement across from him and watched silently as Katie slid carefully away from Rachel and rose to walk out of the room. Daryl waited a second and then eased off the bed to follow her. 

Standing in the living room doorway, Daryl watched Katie reach for the cigarettes and turn toward the front door. “Hey,” he whispered and felt instantly guilty when he saw Katie jump. She turned to him and even in the dimly lit room he could see the fatigue on her face. 

“Can’t sleep,” Katie whispered back. “Sorry I woke you,” she added. 

Daryl shook his head. “Never been much of a sleeper, probly would’ve got up myself in a little bit. Okay if I join ya?” 

Katie nodded and Daryl picked up on her more relaxed posture. He headed toward her and they stepped out onto the porch to settle into their accustomed seats-she on the swing, he on the porch rail. They sat in silence for a while, smoking and thinking their own dark thoughts. Suddenly Katie looked at Daryl curiously. “Why were you so angry that morning?” she asked quietly. “It wasn’t just about my bringing up Patricia, was it?” 

Daryl shook his head and thought how to explain his feelings to her. “Naw. I just……I heard all that bout your husband-what a good guy he was and I figured you’re just spending time with me cuz ya feel sorry for me. And I ain’t ever liked anyone feeling sorry for me.” Daryl blew out a smoke ring, trying to calm himself in advance of her reply. 

Katie frowned and sighed. “Oh Daryl, that’s not why I spend time with you. Rachel and I both genuinely like you. You’re a good man. We feel safe with you around. And you’re so good with Rachel-you have far more patience with her than I do. And what are you talking about -what did you hear about my husband?”

Daryl blinked. “Well, all I ever hear from anyone is how yer husband was a fuckin’ saint just about. Can’t see why you would think I’m a good man after ya been with someone like that.” Daryl bit his lip and looked anywhere but at her. 

“Oh Daryl. No. Think about it-have you ever heard me say anything like that about my husband?”

Daryl gazed at her in confusion. “What do ya mean?”

“I mean do you ever hear me going on and on about how wonderful and amazing and perfect David was?”

Daryl stared at her, thinking. “No, I guess I haven’t,” he whispered in answer. 

“That’s right. No sense in arguing with some people-they have an image of David in their minds and telling them they’re wrong would be futile. And I don’t want Rachel to have a bad image of her father. So I let them talk. But believe me, David was far from perfect. He was definitely human like all the rest of us and quite frankly if the world hadn’t gone to hell we would’ve been divorced and I would be married to another man.” Katie lit another cigarette from the end of the first one and leaned back to watch Daryl’s face as he absorbed this information. 

“Did he…..did he beat ya?” he asked tentatively. 

Katie gave a sad smile. “No, but I’m sure you know there are other ways of punishing someone without ever laying a hand on them. And David was a master at emotionally and verbally beating someone-the cold shoulder, refusing to talk, acting like he was just trying to be nice and couldn’t see why I was being so silly or unreasonable. At the end he told me constantly that I was delusional, crazy, paranoid. And I started to think he was right.” She paused. “I’ll start from the beginning,” Katie began with a sigh.


	25. Confessions Part Deux

Chapter 25

“We met our freshman year of college. By the next year our plans for our futures had changed drastically. David had been premed, he dropped out and took a paramedic class and went to work for the county hospital. I had been a business major and quit to work full time at a catering business. We’d grown up in Pennsylvania, around Gettysburg just a couple of towns from each other. So we went back to his hometown and after he finished his paramedic course and got a job we got married. And things were good for a while.” She smiled sadly and lit another cigarette. “But then David started hanging around with some guys he worked with-started going to church with them. And I didn’t really think anything of it-neither one of us had been especially religious growing up and I just thought he was trying to figure out what he believed in. But he got further and further into that damned church-he had been funny and interesting and curious when I’d met him. But that damned church-it was like a cult. He started being critical of our other friends, our families-quoting the Bible and I don’t know… just became very judgmental. He tried dragging me along a few times but I just felt really uncomfortable and out of place there. Everyone just seemed like they were cut from the same cloth-the wives were all meek and mild and very submissive to their husbands-most didn’t work no matter how bad their money situation might be. They were constantly producing children whether or not they could afford any more. And they all believed that their husband was the ruler of their home and should be obeyed always.” Katie paused and smoked silently a few minutes, gathering her thoughts. 

“It was all I could do not to scream the few times I went with David-the women always asked when I was going to quit work and be a full time mom and wife to David. The men always went off into a different room and made it clear women were not welcome in there. The men were very patronizing of me, seemed to view my career as a joke and ribbed David a lot about when he was going to teach me my place. The longer this went on, David started asking me the same questions. Tried to tell me what to do-I shouldn’t wear this, shouldn’t wear that, don’t use foul language Katherine-he’d started calling me Katherine because Katie was too juvenile sounding a name for a grown adult-I had to sneak outside to smoke at my own house!” Katie sighed and shifted restlessly.

“Why didn’t ya just get a divorce,” Daryl asked, caught up in the story. 

“Well, I felt guilty. Who divorces a man because he’s suddenly too good? Doesn’t smoke or drink, doesn’t hit me or run around on me, goes to church every fucking time the doors are open. I’d look like a lunatic-and I kept hoping he’d get his head out of his ass and snap out of it,” she replied. 

“What happened,” Daryl prompted after a brief silence. 

“I had an affair,” Katie blurted out and Daryl huffed out a breath of surprise. “He was a man whose business I bought supplies from-by then I was a partner in the catering business and Levi was a butcher,” she sighed wistfully. “Anyway, we were friendly because of our businesses then we found ourselves telling each other how unhappy we were at home. One thing led to another and we were sneaking around…it’s not something I’m proud of, believe me. But he was so……I don’t know, like David had once been. Funny, clever, curious. We went to museums, movies, little trips to places we’d read about in the Sunday papers…….it was like having David back but it wasn’t David.” Katie sighed and shifted restlessly on the swing. 

“What happened?” Daryl prodded at last. 

“I was home packing the day things started to really fall apart. I never even looked at the news for the last few weeks there. I was going to meet Levi and planned on calling an attorney to start the paperwork for a divorce. David came rushing in, yelling about us packing up and heading out. I asked him what the hell he was talking about and he said I had to have seen the news if I was packing for us. I know I stared at him like an idiot. He thankfully took it for shock or something and dragged me into the living room to turn the tv on -I stood there just staring at the scenes of the bigger cities burning. Highways bumper to bumper with people trying to get out. It was awful. And I knew then that I couldn’t just take my bags and leave. Levi had a wife and I knew he wouldn’t just leave her to fend for herself. I kind of felt like it was fate’s way of punishing me. I had been unfaithful to my husband and now I would have to stay with him to keep myself alive.” 

“You never saw Levi again? Or found out what happened to him?” Daryl asked quietly. 

Katie barked out a harsh laugh. “Yes I saw him again. I was pregnant by then-another thing David did. Tricked me into getting pregnant-he put holes in his rubbers and told me later what he had done,” Katie shook her head and moved restlessly again. “Anyway, there I am about five months pregnant when we get some new arrivals here at the compound. And who is in that group but my Levi and his wife. And guess what? Guess who his wife was?” 

Daryl froze and stared at Katie. Katie sat up abruptly and nodded. “Yes, Patricia,” she bit out. “Their group stayed with us a month or so while they were setting up the other camp, by then it was getting crowded here. She seemed to sense something about me because she started hounding Levi about me. Who was I? Did he know me? Levi swore he didn’t tell her anything-but she must have picked something up the few times she saw me around the compound talking to Levi. Never alone, but somehow she sensed something. She even went to David and told him she thought there was something going on between Levi and I-but he actually backed me up and told her to stay away from me. It was horrible” she said softly. “I think it drove her crazy-thinking she knew something and Levi and I telling her she was wrong. And she couldn’t prove we were lying, or convince David that we were lying.” She broke off and began to cry softly. “This is all my fault - I should have insisted she move on to some other camp. I felt guilty about Levi, I knew that she was right to hate me. So I didn’t say anything when the council decided to let her stay on after …..” and Katie stopped and covered her mouth with her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. 

“What happened?” Daryl whispered. 

“One day Patricia ran out into the street of the house they were staying in, screaming and covered in blood. David and Levi were found in the back yard, dead. Her story, when she had supposedly calmed down, was that Levi had gotten physical with her. Somehow, and she never explained this to my satisfaction, David had supposedly tried to stop Levi and Levi had shot David and then turned the gun on himself while Patricia stood there and watched.”

Daryl sat there absorbing what he’d just heard. “Was anybody else there to see any of this?” he blurted out disbelievingly. 

Katie gave Daryl a long look. “No. There were no witnesses to any of it except Patricia. She said she’d tried to revive both of them, that’s why blood was all over her. They had had to take her to the infirmary and sedate her.” Katie paused for a moment then looked up at Daryl and wiped a hand over her face wearily. “When I went over there to get David’s body the next day I decided to see Patricia-she was still sedated in the infirmary. I stood there for a moment watching her, trying to imagine what in the hell had really happened. And she opened her eyes and smiled at me-it made my blood run cold. And she whispered to me that she wasn’t through with me yet. That I should watch my back, because she could wait a long time but sooner or later she would finish what she’d started in her backyard.” 

They sat in silence in the dark a few moments-Daryl absorbing all Katie had told him and Katie sat remembering Patricia’s words to her and realizing that until Patricia was dead she would never be safe.


	26. Unexpected Developments

Chapter 26

Daryl had risen quietly after only a couple of hours of lying next to Katie after she’d finally fallen asleep. He eased out to the front porch and lit a cigarette. He knew it wouldn’t be long before Rachel was up and about along with Katie and he wanted some time to think. 

As he stood silently on the porch watching the sun come up, Daryl saw Stuart headed down the street in his direction. Stepping off the porch he went to meet Stuart in the street hoping to keep Katie and Rachel from waking. 

Stuart nodded briefly. “I’ve got some bad news,” he began immediately. Daryl jerked his chin at Stuart for him to continue. “Our folks brought Patricia and some of her allies here -locked them up. Our council wants to have a trial and sentencing as soon as possible so that things can go back to normal.” Daryl snorted and shook his head and Stuart nodded in understanding. Then Stuart dropped his gaze from Daryl’s and frowned down at the street. Daryl immediately tensed up.

“So what the fuck is the bad news?” he growled. 

Stuart sighed and brought his gaze back up to meet Daryl’s. “Patricia says she’s pregnant. That you’re the father,” Stuart said quietly. He stood silently as he watched emotions run rapidly over Daryl’s face. Daryl dropped his cigarette and rubbed both hands roughly over his face before he met Stuart’s gaze again. 

“There a doctor here that can prove whether or not she’s lying?” Daryl whispered, and Stuart heard the edge of desperation in his voice. 

“To prove whether or not she’s pregnant? Yes. But as to whether or not it’s yours-hell no. And she damn well knows that.” Stuart sighed in frustration. “If she isn’t pregnant, we’ll find out pretty quickly. But if she is, then whatever her fate is will be delayed until after she gives birth. That’s the way it’s always been,” Stuart’s voice trailed off as he watched Daryl grasp all the implications this meant for him. 

Daryl began to shake his head, stepping back a few steps from Stuart. “No. She’s lying. To save her ass from whatever y’all decide.” Stuart reached to grasp Daryl’s arm, and Daryl jerked roughly away. “No. She’s a lying bitch,” he gritted out. He turned fully away from Stuart and stared back at Katie’s house, both fists clenching and unclenching. “Where the fuck is she? Where they keepin’ her?” Daryl whispered angrily. 

“What used to be the armory-there’s a few cells in there. Haven’t had much need for them before this,” Stuart replied. 

Daryl nodded and turned to walk rapidly up the street toward the center of the compound. 

“Daryl, don’t do anything stupid,” Stuart called after him. Daryl stopped and turned back to Stuart. 

“I ain’t. But I ain’t gonna be tied the rest of my life to that bitch if can help it,” he growled and turned and began to sprint up the street.


	27. Face to Face

Chapter 27

Daryl paced angrily in front of the cell Patricia had been placed in. 

“Deny it all you want, Daryl,” Patricia said sneeringly, “but I’m pregnant and you’re the father.” She smirked at his obvious distress. 

“Shut yer fuckin’ mouth,” Daryl snarled.

Patricia stepped back and placed a hand to her throat melodramatically. “Oh gracious, such a temper!” she exclaimed mockingly. 

Daryl stopped in his tracks and glared at her. 

“Such a pity you never showed this side of yourself in our time together. Our fucking might have been far more interesting to say the least,” she jeered. She laughed at Daryl’s flinching from the remark. “I wonder if sweet Miss Katie has seen your angry side? Or have you played the meek and mild groveling slave to her too?” 

Daryl’s face reddened at the continued cruel jabs. He shook his head angrily. “Don’t talk bout her. Ya done enough damage to her already,” he spit out. 

“Oh so I gather she has you as fooled about her as she is about you. How interesting,” Patricia countered. She was an expert at finding another person’s weak spot and digging in relentlessly. She’d honed and perfected her skill with her late husband and had become proud of her ability to verbally eviscerate him. She had further perfected this skill during the time Daryl had been her slave and she sensed how easy it would be to take him back down to the whimpering mess he’d been while under her thumb. Still, she’d have to remember that he could show some temper and a bit of backbone and she would have to figure out how to bring that out more often for some added excitement in her torment of him. 

Daryl took a step toward the cell, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “I said don’t talk bout her,” he growled. 

Patricia strode closer to the bars and placed her hands protectively over her abdomen. “Now darling, you wouldn’t be threatening the mother of your child would you?” she cooed softly. 

Daryl stepped closer, heedless in his fury. “You might be pregnant, but that ain’t my baby. I don’t know how ya did this but I’ll figger it out and ….”

Patricia threw her head back and laughed loudly. “Oh dear, I know you were backwards and unsure of yourself when it came to fucking but I would have thought you at least had a grasp on how babies are made!” she barked out. She tilted her head to the side and ran her eyes up and down him slowly. “Big and dumb, that’s what you are. Thank goodness children get their intelligence from their mothers,” she continued spitefully. 

Daryl threw himself at the bars and wrapped his hands around them until his knuckles were white. “Goddam you,” he spit out. 

Before he could continue Patricia screamed loudly and jumped back from the bars. Daryl frowned at her in confusion and turned to see one of the town councilwomen come scurrying toward them from down the hall. Before he could unwrap his hands and step back he saw a townsman come running after the councilwoman. 

“Here now! Step away from the cell!” the woman yelled at him. 

Daryl stepped back quickly and raised his hands as if in surrender. 

They all turned to see Patricia crouching on the side of her cot weeping agitatedly. 

“Patricia, are you alright?” the woman asked. 

Daryl snorted in derision. “She’s killed how many of yer people, and sold Katie off to scum and yer gonna ask her if she’s alright?!” he gritted out. 

The woman turned to glare at Daryl. “That’s what you say. She’s innocent until proven guilty -until she has a trial and a chance to speak for herself,” she shot back angrily. “And she’s pregnant with your child-shame on you!”

Daryl’s mouth dropped open momentarily in shock. “Are you fuckin’ crazy? There’s plenty of witnesses to what she’s done!” he yelped. He glanced at the man who had come running in with the woman and the man shook his head silently. “And that ain’t my baby!” Daryl continued in frustration. “And we ain’t even sure she’s really pregnant,” he added as an afterthought. 

The woman motioned for the man with her to open the cell and she walked in to perch beside Patricia and wrapped an arm around the sobbing woman comfortingly. “Well she’s having the pregnancy test and an ultrasound today so whether or not she’s pregnant will be settled today. We’ll take her word for it that you’re the father since you can’t deny that you were living with her before Katie found you and brought you here. As for her guilt or innocence-that is for a trial to decide. And I for one still believe that a person is guilty until proven innocent even if you don’t.” She turned to pat Patricia’s back soothingly and murmured something to her. Turning back to Daryl she nodded her head at the man now standing beside him. “Take him out of here please Seth. And let it be known he is not to be allowed in here alone with her ever again,” she snapped. 

Seth nodded wordlessly and waved a hand to Daryl to indicate that Daryl was to start back down the hallway to the exit. Daryl opened his mouth to speak but Seth placed a warning hand on his arm and tugged him along to the exit. Daryl jerked his arm away and strode angrily up the hall and flung the door open with a bang to step outside. He stood there, his head down, trying to bring himself back under some semblance of control. He heard the door close and looked up to see Seth watching him. 

“What the fuck you lookin’ at?” Daryl snarled. 

“A man caught in a trap by some vicious murderous bitch,” Seth said quietly. 

For the second time that day Daryl’s mouth dropped open.

“Aileen and I were together, nobody knew about it and that’s the way we wanted it,” Seth continued quietly. “Don’t think you’re alone in wanting rid of Patricia. There’s a lot of us here that do after this shit that just went down. I don’t believe for a minute she’s pregnant, but if she is I believe there’s more to this story than we know.” Daryl nodded wordlessly, relieved to hear this. “Bide your time. Don’t let her catch you off guard again, and for God’s sake don’t give her any more ammunition against you than you did today. Go on home to Katie, tell her what’s going on so she’s not caught by surprise like you were. Then wait to hear from us. Stuart will keep you updated,” Seth finished and clapped Daryl on the arm briefly before he headed back into the jail. 

Daryl stood still a moment, chewing his thumb while he absorbed all of what Seth had said. Then he sighed, straightened his shoulders and headed back to Katie’s house to talk to her.


	28. Grim Reality

Chapter 28

Daryl dragged his feet on his way back to Katie’s house=his mind searching frantically for any possible way out of this mess. He clenched and unclenched his fists and as he grew closer he brought his hand up and unconsciously began to tear viciously at his thumb with his teeth. 

Daryl came to a sudden stop, frowning in confusion at the sight of Katie sitting on the porch swing smoking a cigarette. As he stared, Katie raised her head up and her eyes met Daryl’s. He flinched at the stricken look on her face. He stepped closer and stood hesitantly at the foot of the porch stairs and glanced about for any sign of Rachel. 

“Wendy came and took Rachel to have breakfast with some of the other kids,” Katie said quietly. “She told me about Patricia,” she continued. 

Daryl’s face reddened as he hunched his shoulders and scowled. “Didn’t waste no fuckin’ time spreadin’ the news, did she?” he bit out. 

Katie sighed and stubbed out her cigarette. “No. Wendy wasn’t gloating. She thought you and I would want some time alone to talk about all of this.” 

Daryl stomped up the stairs bristling as he moved toward the rail opposite the swing where Katie sat. “It ain’t mine,” he snapped. “I don’t know how she done this-but I ain’t lettin’ her tie me to her,” he fumed. 

Katie shook her head. “Daryl, don’t say that. I don’t want to believe any of this any more than you do-but what if she is pregnant? Unless there’s a way you can absolutely prove otherwise-you have to assume you’re the father.” 

Daryl began pacing agitatedly up and down the porch. “No. I won’t believe that. There’s gotta be some way….some test….something that can prove she’s lyin’” he gasped. His chest had grown tighter and tighter and he felt that he couldn’t draw enough air. 

Katie stood up quickly and stepped in his path to stop his pacing. She could see he was trembling slightly, his face now deeply flushed and his eyes intense as he glowered at her. 

“Daryl!” she exclaimed. “Stop! You can’t let her get you this worked up,” she began but Daryl jerked away from her and stepped back. 

“I shoulda fuckin’ known,” he whispered in a near moan. “I shoulda fuckin’ known better. My fuckin’ family is cursed-no Dixon ever been happy and none ever will be,” he gritted out. 

Katie stepped toward Daryl again but he flung his hand up to stop her. 

“No, ya need to stay away from me-I don’t want to take no chances on her doin’ anything to hurt ya again,” he blurted out. 

Katie’s face reddened now with her own anger. “You had nothing to do with what happened to me, I already told you that. Don’t you dare go blaming yourself for everything -don’t you dare let her make you doubt yourself because that’s what she wants. Then she can twist you around in circles.” She stepped close to Daryl again and grabbed his arm. “Don’t you dare let her hurt us both by driving a wedge between us.” Daryl made to jerk his arm away, but Katie’s grip tightened. “Goddam you Daryl, don’t do this. Don’t pull away from me,” she choked out. She reached a hand up and smoothed his hair from his face. “I know you’re hurt and you’re angry. But you have to think clearly -you have to keep your temper down or she’ll find a way to use it against you.”

Daryl stood still and nodded. “She already did,” he rasped. 

Katie looked at him in surprise. “What on earth happened?” she exclaimed softly. 

Daryl shook his head and gazed off to the side, ashamed to meet her eyes. “She got me to yellin’ there in the jail and some woman in charge made me leave. That bitch acted like I’d scared her and when I left she was crying all over that other woman’s shoulder.” He finally met her gaze and the hurt and confusion on his face nearly broke Katie’s heart. “I wouldn’t hurt her-I wouldn’t raise a hand to any woman. But she made me look like I’m some kinda bully,” he stammered out. He dropped his head and leaned his forehead to touch Katie’s. “I don’t blame ya if ya hate me,” he whispered brokenly. 

Katie pulled Daryl closer and wrapped her arms around him as best she could. “Oh Daryl, no. Never think that for even a minute. You tracked me down and got me out of …..I don’t want to even think about what else could have happened to me if you hadn’t found me. I’ll forever be grateful to you for that. Come inside. Sit down with me and we’ll try to think of a way to deal with this. Come on,” and she tugged at his arm and led him inside the house where they could be alone and where they could both weep if they wanted with no prying eyes to see.


	29. Positive

Daryl paced up and down the short hall agitatedly, while Katie sat watching- helpless to calm him down. Patricia was in a room having an ultrasound to determine whether she was in fact pregnant, and if so how far along. 

At the sound of the door opening, Daryl stopped pacing and stood stock still in the middle of the hall. Katie stood and came to stand beside him. Dan-one of the resident physicians who had monitored and overseen the compound’s pregnancies and births-shrugged and spread his hands out. Daryl tensed and Katie laid a hand on his arm. 

“How far along is she?” she asked quietly. 

Dan shook his head. “Never been an exact science, Katie, you know that. I’m estimating six to eight weeks. Could be more, could be less.”

Daryl growled. “How the fuck do ya not know how far along she is?” he snapped. 

Katie turned to face him directly. “Daryl, even when we had all the most up to date equipment back in the day a pregnancy was difficult to give exact dates to. But if Patricia is at least six weeks pregnant, that would be the time period when you were with her. If she’s further along-say eight weeks or more you were definitely with her.” Daryl made to pull his arm away from her, but Katie gripped him tightly. “She’s pregnant. Now we have to figure out how to deal with this.” Daryl shook his head violently and yanked his arm out of her grip. “Daryl!” she exclaimed. “Denying it isn’t going to make this go away.”

Before Katie could say more, the door opened and Patricia stood there once again dressed in her prison garb. Daryl grunted and turned his back on her and began to stalk down the hall away from her. 

“No congratulations?” Patricia cooed after his retreating figure, then erupted into peals of mocking laughter. 

“Jesus Patricia, there has got to be a special place in Hell for you,” Katie spat out and turned to follow Daryl. 

“That’s right, run after him. Like you did my husband,” Patricia barked out. 

Katie chose to ignore her and followed Daryl out the door he had slammed open.


	30. The Wait Begins

Katie and Daryl sat at her kitchen table along with Stuart, Seth, Wendy and a few others. 

“For now, Patricia is to be under house arrest,” Wendy said tentatively, keeping a close eye on Daryl. 

“What does that mean?” Daryl mumbled, his thumb between his teeth and already leaking blood. Katie watched him helplessly and sighing turned her attention back to Wendy. 

“It means she’ll be released from jail and placed in a home, right,” Katie asked Wendy. When Wendy nodded, Daryl stood abruptly knocking his chair down. 

“She’ll be out of jail?” he yelped in shock. 

“Yes, unfortunately yes. She’s convinced the right people that staying in that jail is too stressful for her while she’s pregnant. So, she’s going to be living in a small house near the jail,” Wendy continued. 

“Who the fuck is going to keep her from doing more shit?” Daryl roared and began to pace about the kitchen. 

“We will,” Seth said quietly. “Stuart and I, along with a few others who are onto that bitch. We agreed that she could stay in a house but only if we kept an eye on her. We don’t want anyone sympathizing with her anywhere near her. She put up a fuss but then shut up when she realized that was the only way she was getting out of the jail. We’ve already worked up a shift schedule-there’ll be round the clock guards -inside and out. There’s enough folks that are upset about all of this that we have plenty of volunteers to guard her.” He fell silent and when Daryl glanced at Stuart, Stuart nodded in agreement. 

“The most important thing in all of this to remember is that you are to go nowhere near her-ever,” Stuart said, watching Daryl steadily. “We don’t want her to have any opportunity to paint you as the bad guy in all this-not anymore than she’s already tried to do,” he corrected himself. “You go to work, you stay with Katie or in your own house. But you never ever go near Patricia.”

Daryl nodded and dropped his head, staring down at the floor. They could all see the weight of the reality of Patricia’s pregnancy settle on him. 

“In the meantime, we’re trying to come up with a way of determining if in fact the child is yours,” Dan said from the doorway. 

Daryl looked up and met the man’s eyes. “How?” he whispered. 

“I don’t know, but there should be some kind of basic blood test we can do once the child is born to determine that,” Dan said again. 

“Nothing sooner?” Daryl asked, desperation in his voice. 

Dan shook his head. “Not yet, I’m sorry.” 

Katie stood and sighed. “I have to go get Rachel, I’m sorry,” she said quietly to the group, although they all knew she was speaking to Daryl. 

They nodded and one by one slipped out of the kitchen and toward the front door, letting themselves out. Daryl groaned and turning leaned his forehead against the wall, his hands coming up to cover his head. Katie gazed at him quietly, her heart turning over at the thought of him being put through months of wondering if the child was his and what he would have to decide if it was in fact his. Months of living in limbo. At least he would have her at his side-she already knew from what very little he’d told her of his life before that he’d not experienced any real support or love and now this. The possibility of being tied to a woman he despised the rest of his life because of a child that he might never be sure was his. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him and held him tight as he began to weep brokenly.


	31. Gestation

Chapter 31

The summer passed very slowly for everyone at the compound. Trials were held for Patricia’s accomplices and the women were executed by hanging and then quickly dispatched to prevent reanimation. The hangings were private and the corpses were burned outside the compound a few miles off. Some of the councilwomen in Katie’s compound agreed to move into Patricia’s compound to restore order and civility and to keep an eye on things there in case there was anyone there who wanted retaliation for Patricia and her group. 

Patricia was now ensconced in the small house near the jail with round the clock guards preventing her from causing any more disturbance than she already had. She whined routinely about not being able to go for long walks for exercise and complained bitterly and loudly regarding Daryl’s absence. He had not set foot near her since the day she’d had her first ultrasound and more than a few people were willing to help him maintain that distance. 

Katie had asked Daryl to stay with her as a way of preventing Patricia from lying about him in any way-by staying with Katie this ensured that his whereabouts were known around the clock-both at work and after work. This of course caused Patricia to rant and fume and spit invectives about both Katie and Daryl but her tantrums had no effect on the guards who had volunteered to keep watch over her. Daryl had been livid when he’d heard of some of the things Patricia had been heard screaming when she was out in her yard-Katie had assured him that Patricia was choosing those particular moments hoping somebody out and about would hear her and she’d gain an ally. Their friends and allies knew better and he needn’t worry about them turning against him. 

For her part, Katie maintained an outwardly strictly platonic relationship with Daryl-she had fixed up a cot in Rachel’s bedroom where she now slept and had insisted on Daryl taking her room. She sensed that Daryl had not relished his physical relationship with Patricia and felt it had a lot to do with his upbringing. From the bits and pieces he’d told her she’d gleaned that he was exceptionally emotionally scarred as well as physically and she wanted their relationship to move at a pace that was comfortable for him. She also didn’t want him to feel any more guilt than he already felt over the situation with Patricia-bad enough he might be the father to the child she was carrying, even worse if he began a relationship with somebody while Patricia was pregnant with that child. So Katie continued as she had been-they ate dinner together each night, Daryl and she both got Rachel ready for bed-reading to her until she fell asleep. They sat afterwards on the porch smoking, sometimes talking but more and more often in comfortable silence.


	32. Guess who's coming for dinner?

Chapter 32

The beginning of September brought a bite to the air that surprised Daryl. Growing up in Georgia it had been rare for the days to grow cooler until well into October, but here in upstate New York the temps turned cooler much earlier. He had spent the day outside the compound with some of the other men, scouting the wooded areas for good timber for burning during the long winter ahead of them. Although solar panels helped to heat and cool the houses, it was also necessary to store up on wood in the event of blizzards, excessive snowfall and a run of overcast days. He’d enjoyed being outside the compound, out in the woods again and had talked to Stuart and Seth about coming out to do some hunting-stock up on venison and other game for the winter. The anticipation of hunting again had put Daryl in a better mood than he’d been in in months. He’d been able to put the issue of Patricia and her pregnancy to the side for a few hours and he realized just how tense he’d been for the past few months. 

As the group drew closer to the compound in their caravan of trucks loaded down with wood, Daryl frowned at the sight of unfamiliar vehicles in front of the gates. He shot a glance sideways at Stuart and noted that Stuart had reached for his firearm and slowed down a bit. Stuart leaned down and grabbed the walkie talkie and began radioing the men following them that they apparently had visitors at the compound. Daryl sat up in his seat and grasped his gun tighter in his grip. For Christ’s sake, what was going on now? 

Stuart signaled to the watchtower to let them in, and the trucks pulled up just inside the compound with the men quickly piling out. Seth hurried over from the base of the watchtower and Daryl noted with relief Seth didn’t seem to appear upset or angry. 

“What’s going on, who’s here?” Stuart asked. 

Seth smiled and nodded at Daryl. “Some of your family has come. Rick? Said he knew you were here and he’d stayed away long enough. He’s anxious to see you,” Seth explained. 

Daryl’s expression grew dark. “Don’t want ta see any of them,” he mumbled and dropped his gaze to the ground. 

Stuart looked at Seth and Seth nodded. “Katie said you would say that. But she said that you’re to trust her and come on to the house.”

Daryl shook his head and half turned away. 

“Daryl,” Stuart said quietly but sternly. “They came all this way-from Virginia right? Don’t do this-don’t refuse to see them. Trust Katie and go on over there.” 

Daryl nodded quickly after a minute’s hesitation and looked at Stuart. He had come to trust Stuart every bit as much as he’d learned to trust Rick. 

“I’ll walk over with you,” Stuart said quietly and Daryl nodded again-he realized Stuart knew that if somebody didn’t walk with him over there he would slip off and hide somewhere to avoid Rick seeing him. 

The two men headed off in the direction of Katie’s house, Daryl walking slower and slower. 

“Why don’t you want to see your family?” Stuart asked quietly. He and Daryl had formed a fragile friendship in the past few months and although he didn’t know the details of Daryl’s time at Negan’s compound he knew what types of things went on in the circuits Daryl had been traded in before Patricia had bought him. Stuart never asked questions or pried -he valued his own privacy and felt it was only right to give that consideration to others-but he knew an experience like that would’ve emotionally wrecked him, much less a man who seemed to have had an exceptionally rough life even before the shit had hit the fan. 

As expected, Daryl rolled his shoulder and mumbled something unintelligible. Stuart knew Daryl often had a difficult time expressing himself-he was a highly intelligent man but his lack of esteem and constant self doubt left him unable to verbalize his thoughts or feelings. He could talk for hours about hunting, tracking, engines, motorcycles and be quite entertaining at times. But ask him his opinion on what he wanted for dinner, or the merits of the long gone players of different sports teams, even what color he liked and he froze up and began to fidget. Stuart wondered for the hundredth time just what in the hell Daryl’s life had been like growing up. 

“Look,” Stuart said stopping in mid stride and Daryl came to stop beside him. “You’ve told me this man thinks of you as his brother. And you feel the same about him. I know if my brother had been taken away from me and then been put through hell like you were-I would feel guilty as all get out.” 

Daryl jerked his head up and stared in surprise at Stuart. 

“Yeah. Think about it from Rick’s perspective. He couldn’t keep Negan from taking you as prisoner. He couldn’t break you out of there. All that time he hoped that you were surviving there, then he finds out you’ve been gone for months. Imagine the guilt eating at him every damn day while he searched for you, not knowing if or when he’d ever find you again. And now he’s here-if you refuse to see him, or avoid him in any way……I can’t imagine how shitty I’d feel if I was in his shoes. If you don’t think of anything else, think of how relieved Rick will be to see you in one piece again and to know that you’re surrounded by folks who think of you as their family now too. If you really feel that you can’t ever be with your family again then at least let them think you’re in a good place here.” 

Daryl frowned and bit the inside of his lip, thinking over what Stuart had said, and then nodded slowly. “Yer right,” he said quietly. “I’ll never get him to leave here if he thinks somethin's wrong,” he added. 

Stuart sighed impatiently and held his tongue. Daryl had totally misconstrued what he was trying to tell him, but now was not the time to get into an argument. Daryl’s family was waiting at Katie’s house and they had already waited long enough for this reunion. Stuart began striding more quickly in the direction of Katie’s and he noted that Daryl had at last picked up his pace as well.


	33. Family Reunion

Chapter 33

As Stuart and Daryl neared Katie’s house, Daryl heard his name shouted and a group of people came running down the steps towards him, arms reached out to grasp and embrace him. He was suddenly surrounded by his family-Rick, Michonne-who appeared to be pregnant. Carl-he’d gotten so tall! And there was Judith, clinging shyly to Rick’s leg-walking all on her own. Daryl had dreamt of seeing his family again, but in his dreams they’d remained just as they had been when he’d last seen them that awful night in the woods with Negan. 

He realized with a start that just as he’d changed they had as well. They hadn’t had the same experiences, but time had left it’s mark on all of them. Rick had more gray in his hair and beard, more lines in his face. Michonne too had a bit of gray here and there, a few lines on her face but they both exuded a calm he’d only ever seen in Michonne-apparently she’d been a good influence on Rick. 

Carl was just as tall if not slightly taller than Daryl was, and he noted with shock how deep Carl’s voice had gotten. As he stood in the midst listening to them talk over each other in their eagerness to tell Daryl how they’d gotten to the compound, Daryl noted the faces that were missing. Carol for one. Where was she? He cast a glance at Rick and Rich rolled a shoulder and mumbled a name unfamiliar to Daryl-Ezekiel. He trusted Rick would fill him in later. Rosita was here, but no sign of Sasha. When Daryl’s eyes met Rosita’s she just shook her head quietly. Tara was standing beside Rosita, pale and thin but here. 

Finally Daryl caught movement back on the porch and his mouth fell open as Maggie slowly made her way down the porch steps holding a baby. Daryl watched as Maggie came to a stop in front of him. He hadn’t seen her since the night Glen had been killed. All the guilt and shame of that night and it’s consequences washed over him again and he blanched as he stepped back from Maggie. His backing away was stopped by her fierce grip on his arm and she pulled him towards her. 

“No you don’t Daryl Dixon. We travelled all this way and you are not getting out of meeting your godson, Herschel Glenn Rhee,” Maggie said firmly but quietly as she held up the baby for Daryl to see. His eyes filled up and overflowed with tears as he gazed at the baby who bore such a striking resemblance to the father he would never know. As the baby reached out to him, Daryl found himself taking the little boy from Maggie as she shifted him into his arms. He grasped the baby tightly, breathing in the clean baby scent and smiled at Maggie who stood watching him, tears running freely down her cheeks. 

“My godson?” he asked in wonder. 

“Glen and I had talked about it and were going to ask you,” Maggie said quietly as the group stood taking in the site of Daryl holding little Herschel, much like he’d once held Judith. 

“Don’t know nothin’ bout bein’ a godfather,” Daryl mumbled shyly as he nuzzled the baby’s head. 

“You’ll figure it out, I have faith in you,” Maggie replied and smiled sadly. 

Before Daryl could reply, Rachel came running up to Daryl. “Momma and me met your family! Momma said they’ve come to visit. C’mon inside, Momma’s got snacks to eat,” Rachel said as she hopped up and down restlessly. Daryl laughed quietly at Rachel’s excitement and nodded to her. 

“A’right punkin, tell your momma we’re comin’,” he told her as he passed baby Herschel back to Maggie. 

“Punkin?” Rick teased him and Daryl felt his face flush. Daryl ducked his head shyly and shrugged. “Guess we both have a lot of catching up to do Dixon,” Rick laughed and clapping Daryl on his shoulder they began making their way back up the lawn and into Katie’s house. Daryl sighed unhappily at the reminder of just what his part of the catching up entailed and began to gnaw at his thumb as he entered the small living room full of his family-old and new.


	34. Homecoming Continued

Chapter 34

The next few hours were spent catching up-Rick and his group regaling Daryl with the tale of how they finally rid themselves of Negan, their discovery months after the fact that Daryl was gone from Negan’s camp, their agonizing search for him and their decision at long last to travel to the camp they’d heard he was living in. Katie noted Rick and his group chose their words carefully when discussing Negan and Daryl’s disappearance from his camp. It wasn’t lost on her that Daryl was extremely uncomfortable with that entire subject and she was grateful to see that his family was sensitive to that. 

After a few hours Rick looked at Daryl and Daryl nodded slightly. As they headed toward the kitchen and out the back door Katie heard Daryl mumble something about needing a smoke and saw the others in the group glance at each other in understanding. Katie announced it was Rachel’s bedtime as she was starting to slump, and observing Judith staggering a bit Katie suggested to Michonne that they could clean the girls up and bed them both down in Rachel’s room. Michonne eagerly agreed and they soon had the two little girls in bed. Next Katie offered to pad a drawer for baby Herschel to nap in to which Maggie gratefully nodded to. They tucked the drawer in the living room so Carl could keep an eye on the sleeping baby while the three women set about cleaning up the aftermath of the snacks and drinks everyone had partaken of. As they cleaned, Tara and Rosita along with a man by the name of Tobin headed off in the direction of Daryl’s house to contemplate sleeping arrangements. 

As Michonne and Maggie helped Katie in the kitchen, Katie noted that Maggie’s gaze was drawn again and again toward the windows to the back. Rick and Daryl stood at the far end of the lawn, within sight but not hearing distance of anybody in the house. Katie knew Maggie was looking out at Daryl. It had been clear to her within a short time of Daryl’s arrival that the feelings Maggie had for him weren’t the feelings for a brother or a member of her family. Maggie was in love with Daryl. And Katie sensed soon after that that Daryl was in love with Maggie as well. His frequent stolen glances Maggie’s way when he thought no one was looking, his protectiveness of baby Herschel, his attentiveness to Maggie made it clear to Katie how he felt. She could also see by the faces of his family that they also knew Maggie and Daryl were in love with each other-even if Daryl himself didn’t fully realize it. 

Katie knew from what little she’d learned of Daryl’s past with the group that he felt deeply guilty over not only Maggie’s husband’s death but also for her father and sister’s deaths as well. Katie realized that because of that guilt and overwhelming feeling of utter worthlessness-made far worse by his time with Negan and with Patricia-that Daryl would never voice those feelings to anyone, much less Maggie. 

Her heart clenched as she gazed at Maggie gazing out the window and then she started and blushed when she realized Michonne was studying her quietly, a serious look on her face. Michonne nodded once and sighed, placing her hands on her lower back. 

“I’d forgotten how much pregnancy tires you out,” Michonne murmured quietly. “Mind if I go settle in on the couch in there?” 

Katie shook her head and smiled. “Not at all. We might as well get comfortable, seems those two out there have a lot to discuss.” 

Maggie turned reluctantly toward Katie and Michonne. “Yes, they have a lot to catch up on. I’m going to grab the opportunity to take a quick nap while Herschel is sleeping. Lord knows he doesn’t often sleep all the way through the night even now,” she said quietly and trailed behind the other two women into the living room.


	35. How Things Shake Out

Chapter 35

Katie started and gazed about her, blinking owlishly. Glancing over toward her couch she saw Michonne and Maggie had each nodded off as well. Maggie had at some point picked her baby up and had him cradled in her arms and bolstered up with pillows. Carl had moved from the chair to the floor and was flat on his back, mouth open, snoring quietly. 

Turning her head toward the kitchen doorway, she watched as Rick and Daryl hugged and then turned to enter the living room. Daryl smiled shyly at Katie and mumbled an apology for waking her. She watched from where she had curled up on the loveseat as Daryl gently lifted baby Herschel from Maggie’s arms and deposited him back in the box. As Maggie stirred Daryl picked the box up and spoke softly. 

“Imma take ya back over to my place so you can be more comfortable,” he said as Rick touched Michonne softly on her shoulder and she opened her eyes. Rick tapped Carl’s shoe with his and when Carl started Rick snickered softly. 

“C’mon son, we’re going over to Daryl’s place. Let Katie get her rest.” Glancing around Rick frowned slightly. “Where’s Judith?” 

Katie leaned forward. “She’s in bed with Rachel. You can leave her here if you’d like, it’d be a shame to wake her,” she whispered. 

Rick shook his head quickly. “I appreciate that, but after all we’ve been through I don’t feel comfortable with her out of my sight for very long. Maybe someday that’ll change, but for now,” and he sighed and spread his hands in apology. 

Carl sat up and rubbed his eyes. Standing up and stretching, he yawned. “I’ll go get her Dad,” he offered and headed toward Rachel’s bedroom. 

Michonne smiled at Katie. “We really do appreciate your putting up with us tonight. It must be overwhelming to have all these strangers here in your house for hours now,” she said softly and looked at Daryl holding the box Herschel dozed in. 

Carl appeared holding a still slumbering Judith in his arms. As Carl crossed the room toward the front door, Daryl motioned for Maggie to go on ahead and he fell into step behind her. Michonne glanced again at Daryl’s retreating figure and then at Katie’s face. She bit her lip and then looked up at Rick. 

“Are you and Daryl done talking for the night?” she asked Rick quietly. Rick shrugged and scratched his chin. 

“Yeah, I think so. We’re all tired, makes sense to get some sleep and let things wait until the morning,” he mumbled.   
Michonne nodded and looking directly at Katie she spoke. “We’ll send Daryl right back over after we get settled in. No sense in throwing everyone out of their routine just because we showed up,” and nodding to Rick, Michonne headed out the door. Rick mumbled another good night and headed out after her, closing the door behind her. Katie went about the room folding some throws Michonne and Maggie had used, turning off most of the lights and then sank back down on the love seat, unsure when or if Daryl would return and how she would feel if he didn’t.


	36. Morning After

Chapter 36

Katie woke to early morning light pouring through the front window. She sat up and winced, realizing she’d fallen asleep in an awkward position on the love seat and now she had a crick in her neck. Relief flooded through her when she spied Daryl sound asleep on the floor by the couch, curled on his side with his arm tucked around Rachel who was snuggled up beside him. She blew out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and stood up to stretch. 

Daryl’s eyes popped open and she smiled at him. “Why in the world didn’t you go to bed?” she whispered. 

He shrugged and jerked his chin at Rachel. “She came looking for you just as I came in. Told her we’d been up late visiting and she wanted to lie down on the floor with me -she didn’t want to wake ya but she didn’t want to leave ya in here alone,” he murmured quietly and brushed a kiss on Rachel’s hair. 

“Well I know you aren’t comfortable on the floor. Let’s get her into bed and we can all go back to sleep for a bit,” Katie said as she bent to pick Rachel up. 

Rachel stirred and fretted. “I wanna sleep in the big bed with both of you,” she whined sleepily. 

Katie sighed tiredly but Daryl nodded. “Okay Punkin, let’s go,” and before Katie could protest he’d swung Rachel up in his arms and headed toward the room he now slept in. Katie followed behind and watched as Daryl got Rachel settled in bed then turned to her. 

“C’mon Mom, slide in on the other side,” he said as he motioned to the opposite side of the bed. Katie shook her head and climbed into bed. As she watched Daryl slip in on the opposite side and Rachel settled against his side again, he reached out a hand to touch Katie’s arm. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “It means a lot to me that you welcomed Rick and everyone like that,” he continued. Katie turned toward him and reached up a hand to lay over his. 

“You’re welcome Daryl,” she whispered back. Then watched as his eyes closed and his breathing soon evened out. Daryl looked far more peaceful than Katie had ever observed him and she smiled and closed her eyes as well.


	37. The Truth Will Out

Chapter 37

Katie never asked and Daryl never volunteered just how much his family knew about his time with Negan nor his time between leaving Negan’s compound and being bought by Patricia. She understood that they all knew the circumstances Daryl was in now-a woman claiming to be pregnant by him and his living in limbo until some definitive answer could be given whether the baby was in fact his. Katie had again been grateful that no questions were directed to her regarding any of the events since she’d found Daryl and brought him to live in the compound. She continued to observe Maggie and Daryl when she was around them and became more convinced as the days slipped by that they did indeed love each other and Daryl would never voice his feelings to anyone, much less Maggie. 

Rick’s group had asked and been welcomed to stay with the compound until spring-that would give Daryl time to find out if the child was his and whether or not he would depart the compound and head west with Rick and his group. The subject of leaving had never been directly addressed by Katie or Daryl to each other, but it was obvious that his initial desire never to see his family again had quickly given way to an open desire to never part from them again. Katie kept her own counsel regarding the matter, deciding to wait until Daryl broached the subject about possibly leaving with him. 

In the meantime, Rick’s group had settled into Daryl’s house, made themselves and their various skills available to the compound. Rick and Tobin fit in easily with the men Daryl had been working with, Carl found some young men slightly older than him to hang out with, Maggie and Michonne as well as Tara and Rosita had become friendly with some of Katie’s friends as well. Rachel and Judith had become fast friends and as the days slipped by Judith had been allowed once or twice to spend the night with Rachel without Rick checking in more than every other hour. 

Katie sighed wistfully as she turned away from the batch of cookies she was making in the compound cafeteria. Thanksgiving was next weekend and life would be perfect if not for the specter of Patricia’s advancing pregnancy. As well as the constant thought that Daryl was in love with Maggie. 

As Katie readied the cookies for baking, she started at the sight of Monica striding quickly across the floor toward her with a grim look on her face. 

“Katie, where is Daryl?” she burst out. 

Katie frowned. “Out hunting with Rick and Stuart and some of the other men. Why, what’s wrong?”

Monica huffed out a breath. “Patricia is in our office. Dan did an ultrasound again after Patricia told him she didn’t feel right. The baby’s heart rate is abnormally high, and the baby appears to be swelling,” she replied tersely. 

“What in the world?” Katie exclaimed in surprise. 

“Don’t say anything,” Monica whispered anxiously, “but Dan said he thinks it may be a complication of Rh -do you know what Daryl’s blood type is by any chance?”

Katie shook her head slowly. “No, I….I haven’t ever had a reason to know,” she stammered out. 

Monica sighed. “Is there a way to reach them-do they have the walkie-talkies?” 

Katie nodded, still dumbfounded. “Yes, they always take them. I’ll come with you,” she said as she hurriedly pulled off her apron and threw it onto the counter. Monica turned and jogged toward the door with Katie close on her heels. 

Two hours later found Daryl pacing anxiously in the hall outside the room where Patricia had been admitted to. Katie sat on a bench along the wall while Rick stood staring gloomily about him. Daryl stopped as Dan came out into the hall again. 

“What’s wrong?” Daryl snapped. 

Dan sighed. “It appears that you both have the same blood type,” he started quietly. Katie gasped and Rick looked at her confused. 

“What does that mean?” Daryl yelped anxiously. 

“It means you aren’t the father,” Katie blurted out. Dan nodded. 

“Why? I don’t understand,” Daryl continued. 

“If you have the same blood, she wouldn’t be havin’ these complications,” Rick said quietly. At Daryl’s look of confusion, Rick rubbed his hand over his face. “’S how I knew Judith wasn’t mine. We were lucky with Carl, found out if Lori got pregnant again she’d have to have the shots to keep from miscarrying or the baby from havin’ complications,” he explained. “So I knew right away that if she wasn’t having any problems and didn’t seem to be worried, well then Shane was the father,” he continued with a bitter laugh. 

Katie stepped closer to Daryl and touched his arm. “This means she’s pregnant by someone else. You don’t have to worry anymore,” she said quietly and smiled up at him. 

Daryl shook his head, dazed. “What will happen to the baby though?” he asked Dan. 

Dan bowed his head. “Patricia appears to be miscarrying. We’ll do everything we can to keep her comfortable =-we may have to do some surgery to prevent any risk of infection etc. But in my opinion there is no way she would ever have been able to carry this baby to full term. And she knew the risk,” he added angrily. 

“What?” Katie blurted in surprise. 

“This isn’t her first pregnancy. She admitted she’d miscarried numerous times with her husband due to various issues and that she’d been told she would never be able to carry a child to full term without complete bedrest and medications to prevent premature delivery. She put her life and this baby’s life at risk and knew that,” Dan spat out. 

Katie’s mouth dropped open in shock and Daryl hissed out a curse before he turned and strode rapidly down the hall and out the door, slamming it open loudly as he exited. 

Rick ran his hands over his face again. “Well, we have the answer we wanted but damn sure not the way we wanted,” he bit out and turned to go after Daryl. 

Katie sank down on the chair she’d been sitting in and pressed her hands to her face. 

“Are you alright?” Dan asked quietly. He knelt in front of her and gently pulled her hands from her face. “Katie, are you okay?” he asked again. 

Katie started to nod, then burst into harsh sobs. Dan pulled her closer to lean against him as she wept.


	38. Story Delays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My apologies to any of my readers who have been following this story-my laptop was slowing down and freezing up and I finally bought a newer hopefully faster one this week. I'm getting used to all the new bells and whistles and hope to post a new chapter in the next day or two as well as hoping to post more regularly from now on. Thank you again.

Please see notes posted.


	40. Chapter 40

Rick came to see Katie a few hours later that day-he told her he’d followed Daryl back to his house where Daryl had packed up some basic hunting and camping gear and told Rick he needed some time to himself. Rick explained he knew better than to argue with Daryl when he got in one of his moods. 

“He promised me he’d be back in a day or two,” Rick explained quietly to Katie as she stood clutching her arms around her middle. Rick glanced over at Dan, a picture of impotent rage. Rick sighed. Apparently Katie had an admirer no one had taken into account. And if Daryl didn’t hurry back, Rick was certain Dan would move right into whatever place Daryl had managed to carve out for himself in Katie’s life the last few months. Rick couldn’t blame Katie if she did turn to Dan. Daryl Dixon was his brother-but he was a hard man to love. Prone to fits of rage, no impulse check whatsoever, a colossal chip on his shoulder from the day Rick had first met him. Sure he had a big heart, and he’d sacrifice his own life for those he cared about-but the man also made such a convincing show of how little he cared for anyone that if you didn’t know him as well as his own family knew him-and God knew that had taken a long time-anyone would believe his show. 

Rick nodded at both Katie and Dan and saw himself out the front door and headed back to Daryl’s house to explain to his family just what was going on.  
Dan approached Katie and held out his arms to gather her to him and rubbed her back and murmured soothingly as she began to weep again. Goddam that asshole, he thought furiously. He’d watched Katie fall all over herself for months now, welcoming that piece of shit into her home and helping him get acclimated to life in their compound. Then watched as she tortured herself endlessly while they waited to see if Patricia was pregnant with Daryl’s child or not. Now, instead of thanking Katie for all she’d done for him that bastard had run away from the mess he was partially responsible for making. Leaving Katie to clean up his mess. 

As Dan continued to soothe Katie he became more determined than ever to remove Daryl from Katie’s life permanently so he could take care of her and little Rachel-the way he’d wanted to ever since Katie’s idiot husband had gotten himself killed. This was his chance-he could convince Daryl to leave with Rick and his family and leave them in peace. He smiled as he kissed the top of Katie’s head and felt a burden taken off his shoulders.


	41. Reckoning

Chapter 41-Reckoning

Daryl stayed gone three days. Late in the evening of the third day he stumbled up the stairs to Katie’s door. He was exhausted, tired to the bone and all he wanted was to see Katie and hear that she forgave him-forgave him for walking away from her like he had, forgave him staying away these last few days. He wanted to lay his soul bare to her-he felt that he needed to tell her every dark ugly secret of his and see and hear that she forgave him and then he could start a real life with her and Rachel. He finally might have a chance to have some peace and happiness now that the issue of whether or not Patricia was having his child was resolved. He’d spent three long days and nights doing his own soul searching -contemplating the multiple ways his father had scarred him-not just physically but emotionally as well. Making him such an emotional cripple that instead of trying to be his own man he’d instead fallen into the easier route of following his brother around for most of his adult life and allowing himself to continue to be emotionally and physically abused-he’d just traded one bully in for another. 

Because of his weakness he’d neglected to protect Beth and her death was on his shoulders. He’d gotten Glen killed because instead of thinking like an adult he’d gone after Dwight like the impatient redneck asshole he’d been raised to be. Glen’s death and Maggie’s widowed state as well as their fatherless child was on his shoulders. And if he’d stood up to Patricia instead of allowing her to tap into his feelings of self loathing and misery he would never have found himself in the situation he’d been in the last few months. It was past time he started acting like a responsible adult-how could he expect Katie to believe he wanted to take care of her and Rachel when at any given time he ran off like some the redneck asshole he looked like?

Before he could have a chance to knock, Katie’s door swung open and Dan appeared. Daryl’s mouth fell open slightly in surprise and he took a step back. Dan stepped out and shut the door behind him, crowding Daryl’s space until he was forced back down the steps to stand looking up at Dan towering over him, the porchlight behind him making Dan appear to be even larger than he was. 

“So you finally show back up,” Dan said angrily, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. 

Daryl nodded wordlessly, uncertain of how to proceed. What the hell was Dan doing here at Katie’s? He’d never seen any evidence of any great friendship between them.   
Dan snorted in disgust. “Nothing to say for yourself,” he mocked. “Well, don’t worry about Katie. She and Rachel have been well taken care of while you were off doing Christ knows what.” Dan stepped down one step and Daryl continued to stand motionless, trying to think of what to say in the face of Dan’s rage. 

“You really are a piece of shit, Dixon,” Dan continued. “That woman has bent over backwards for you since you got here and you’ve been nothing but a constant wear on her nerves-one fucking thing after another with you. You don’t deserve her time or attention. Hell as much of a bitch as Patricia is you’re not good enough for her either,” he jeered. At the look of shock then shame on Daryl’s face Dan knew he had gotten Daryl into an emotional corner and he was going to press his point. 

“You should do us all a favor and leave. I hear your family is planning on leaving sooner than planned now that we know Patricia isn’t carrying your child. Why don’t you just go with them-hell leave ahead of them and go scout the trail you’ll be traveling on. From what I understand you’re a great hunter and tracker-guess you’re more of an animal than a real man. Go put the only skills you have to good use and stay the fuck away from Katie and Rachel.”

Dan stepped down again and stepped forward until he was almost nose to nose with Daryl -Dan was breathing in short powerful gasps as if he’d just run a long way. Daryl himself felt as if his wind had been knocked out of him -he remained speechless as they glared at each other. Suddenly Dan punched Daryl as hard as he could in his gut and Daryl doubled over and fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Dan leaned down and grabbed Daryl’s hair and shook him roughly. 

“I mean it Dixon. Get the fuck away from Katie and keep the fuck away from her. Or I’ll kill you.” 

Dan shoved Daryl and stood up, pointedly wiping his hand on his jeans as he turned to walk back up the steps and go inside. As Daryl knelt on the pavement struggling for breath he heard the bolt lock click into place.


	42. Maggie

Maggie jerked in surprise as the front door opened to reveal Daryl. She quickly crossed the room to the door and stood before Daryl while holding her son as she rubbed his back soothingly. 

“He’s teething again and it makes him fussy,” she offered quietly as an explanation for her presence in the living room. 

Daryl nodded briefly and tentatively reached out to touch Herschel briefly on his back. He winced as he moved to sink down on the couch. 

“Are you alright,” Maggie whispered again anxiously. 

Daryl nodded briefly again. Maggie frowned down at the man she’d come to regard as her brother and wondered what in the world was going through his head-how many different ways would he find to blame himself for everything that had happened in the last few days alone? She knew from what Rick had told them all that Patricia had lied about carrying Daryl’s baby. In the few days he’d been gone not only had the baby been born stillborn but Patricia had succumbed as well-they hadn’t been able to prevent her hemorrhaging. Maggie knew with a certainty that once Daryl found this out he would more than likely bolt again and this time might not ever return. 

An idea came to her and she sank down quietly next to Daryl. 

“Have you seen Katie yet?’ she whispered hopefully. She was surprised at the look on Daryl’s face when he turned to stare at her. 

“No,” he mumbled. “She’s better off without me around,” he continued quietly, and Maggie observed him wince again as he shifted his seat a bit. 

“What do you mean by that,” she responded sharply, watching him carefully. 

“Fuck Maggie, ya know what I mean. She don’t need me fucking up her life any more than I already have. I never been worth a damn and after the last six months or more,” and here he choked and coughed and then plowed on “I sure as fuck ain’t worth a damn. Katie and Rachel need someone a helluva lot better than me.” Daryl looked down at his hands and began nervously picking at the skin around his fingers. 

Anger swept through Maggie and she stood up and placed the now sleeping child in the bassinet she’d brought into the room earlier. Then she stood in front of Daryl and placed her hands on her hips and glared at Daryl until he looked cautiously up at her. 

“Don’t you dare do this Daryl. Don’t you dare push that woman and her child away from you. You’ve done that as long as I’ve known you, probably have all your life. And it’s way past time for that to stop,” Maggie spat out. 

Daryl’s mouth dropped open in surprise. He’d seen Maggie angry, and had often snickered at the sight of Glen getting his ass torn up by her. He’d never been on the receiving end before though, not like this. And now he wished he hadn’t been so quick to laugh at Glen.   
“Don’t you give me that wide eyed, what are you talking about look either,” Maggie continued. “Anyone with the sense God gave a goat can see that Katie is crazy in love with you and her daughter thinks you hung the damn moon. So whatever it is that has got you convinced that you aren’t good enough for her, well you need to stop it right now.” Maggie stepped closer and leant down to jab her index finger into Daryl’s chest. 

“Fuck,” he yelped out in surprise. 

“That ain’t nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you Daryl Dixon if you don’t get your ass back up off this couch and march over to her house and tell her how you feel about her,” Maggie continued, jabbing him continually as she spoke. 

Daryl suddenly stood up and knocked her hand away, causing Maggie to fall back a step. 

“You think I didn’t go over there goddammit?” he hissed angrily. “That fuckin’ doctor was over there. He came outta the house and told me to stay the fuck away from her. She sure ain’t in love with me if she’s got that prick staying with her,” he finished and began biting his lip as he stared at her. 

Maggie snorted. “So because some guy she’s known for years came outta her house you automatically assume there’s something goin’ on there and without talking to Katie face to face you just slink away like some….” Maggie searched her memory quickly for whatever seemed to be Daryl’s worst insult for another man, “pussy,” she hissed back at him, “I’d be ashamed! For all that your brother Merle was an asshole I bet he wouldn’t have let some jerk keep him away from the woman he loved,” she sneered and stepped back cautiously. 

Magge eyed Daryl closely as she watched the different emotions roll over his features-shock, surprise, hurt, shame then the emotion she hoped she’d see appeared-rage. 

“You fuckin’ bitch” Daryl ground out, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. 

Maggie smirked back at him. “I admit I’m a bitch, but at least I’m not a pussy,” she yelled back, forgetting for a minute the house full of her sleeping family and her sleeping child just a few feet away in his bassinet. 

Maggie’s eyes widened at the look that passed over Daryl’s face. She’s seen him angry plenty of times, but she’d never seen him like this. Well, if this gave him the balls to go back over to Katie’s and tell her how he felt about her then she wasn’t sorry at all that she’d goaded him. 

“Would you like me to go with you just in case that big bad scary man comes to the door again?” Maggie continued, her speech dripping with sugar. 

With a muffled roar, Daryl turned and stormed out of the house. Maggie glanced around to see that Herschel was thankfully still sound asleep and then hurried after him over to Katie’s house, all the while laughing quietly to herself.


	43. Confrontations

Chapter 43-Confrontations  
Daryl marched up Katie’s steps and banged on the door, Maggie close on his heels. She winced as Daryl continued to bang on the door loudly, but she wasn’t about to open her mouth to try to calm him down. She needed him fired up to make this work out right.   
The door swung open and Daryl jumped back in surprise.   
Dan snarled at the sight of Daryl and then his eyes widened when he realized Maggie was on the porch as well.   
“Guess you’re as stupid as you look after all,” Dan commented dryly as he tried to stare down Daryl.   
Daryl became even more enraged at the insult.   
“Fuck you. I came here to see Katie, and you ain’t gonna stop me,” Daryl spit back.   
A noise came from behind Dan and Dan shrugged. “Go on back to bed, nothing going on out here I can’t take care of,” Dan said over his shoulder.   
Daryl lunged forward, Dan grabbing his shoulders and visibly shoving him back.   
“Katie!” Daryl yelled as Dan attempted to push him further back to the porch steps.   
Katie stepped forward from behind Dan and took in the scene.   
“It’s not enough that you’ve hurt me, you want to rub my nose in it too?” Katie cried out as she burst into tears.   
“What the fuck are ya talkin’ about?” Daryl bellowed as he and Dan continued to shove each other back and forth on the porch.   
Katie flung a hand toward Maggie. “You have to bring her over here to what? Explain why you love her more than me? Tell me we can always be friends? Fuck you,” she managed in between sobs.   
“What?” both Maggie and Daryl shot back in surprise.   
“Dan told me you made a beeline right over to your house tonight when you came back, and there Maggie was waiting on the porch for you…”  
Before Katie could get any further, both Maggie and Daryl looked at each other and Maggie shook her head.   
“No Katie, that isn’t what happened at all,” Maggie explained angrily. “Daryl came straight here to see you and Dan told him to stay away from you and punched him,” she finished. Daryl cut his eyes at her-he hadn’t told Maggie that. “Must’ve caught him off guard, because I have yet to see the man that could punch Daryl Dixon and walk away from it,” Maggie stated vehemently.   
Dan stopped struggling with Daryl and turned his full attention toward Katie. Holding his hands up placatingly, he stepped forward and Katie stepped back warily.   
“You lied to me,” Katie sobbed.   
“Katie, please let me explain,” Dan said quietly.   
Daryl stood glaring at both of them, his breath coming in rapid gasps. He glanced at Maggie and she shook her head and held up a hand to stay him from leaving again.   
“Daryl!” Rachel cried from behind Katie and she squeezed through between Katie and Dan to fling herself at Daryl. He quickly scooped her up and Rachel flung her arms around his neck. “Mommy said you weren’t coming back, but I told her you would!” Rachel exclaimed happily as she buried her face in his neck and tightened her hold around him.   
Daryl stood holding Rachel tightly to him, looking anxiously between Katie and Dan. His anger had clearly evaporated once Rachel attached herself to him.   
Katie wiped her face briskly and pointed at the yard. “You can leave now Dan. We’ll talk later, I assure you. But right now my daughter and I are going to spend time with Daryl and give him the welcome home he deserves.”   
Katie pushed the door open wider and waved Daryl in. As he entered Katie looked over to Maggie and smiled shyly.   
“Thank you Maggie,” she said quietly and as Maggie nodded Katie went in behind Daryl and Rachel and shut the door behind them.   
Maggie walked back down the steps and stood before Dan scowling.   
“That was rotten what you did to them,” she said quietly.   
“He doesn’t deserve her,” Dan shot back.   
“He may or may not deserve her but you sure as hell don’t,” Maggie answered and then punched him as hard as she could in the gut.   
Dan fell to his knees gasping.   
“See how you like it you son of a bitch,” Maggie spat and sauntered off back toward the house where her son and her family slept.


	44. Aftermath

Chapter 44 Aftermath

Maggie stormed up the stairs to Daryl’s house and flung the door open, only to stop short at the sight of Rick, Michonne and Carl standing there with sheepish looks on their faces. 

“Why y’all up?” Maggie asked anxiously. “Is Herschel alright?” and she glanced toward the bassinet where she’d tucked him in hastily before following after Daryl.

“Oh yeah, yeah. Herschel’s sound asleep,” Rick drawled, rubbing his hand slowly over his cheek and chin. “I’m surprised though after all the noise you and Daryl made arguing before y’all ran outta here,” he continued as he smirked at Maggie’s reddening face. 

“Yeah, what the hell was that all about?” Carl snickered before catching his father’s look at his cussing. 

Maggie sighed and shook her head. “Well, he came back finally and that jackass of a doctor told him not to bother Katie-without her knowing,” she added hastily at Michonne’s look. “And he came over here with his tail between his legs and I just couldn’t stand that.” Maggie blew out a breath and sank down on the couch. “Dammit, he’s been through so much. Not just with us all these years-but I know he had a shit life before he ever met us. I saw the scars on his back when Daddy took care of him back at the farm. And we all saw how Merle treated him. He’s like a dog that’s been beat so long that he doesn’t trust anyone. And every time it seems he’s going to catch any kind of a break he just gets screwed again.” Maggie swiped at her face angrily. “I’m just fuckin’ tired of seeing him so unhappy and alone. And if he’s got any kind of a chance of any happiness with that Katie then by God I’m going to make sure no one gets in his way.” She half laughed at the look the three gave her at this speech. 

Carl nodded and sat down next to Maggie, placing an arm around her. “I know what you mean. That was cool that you did that for him. I think we should all keep an eye out for him and help him if he seems to need it.” 

Rick snorted and kicked at Carl’s leg affectionately. “Yeah, you know all about it now that you and Enid are together, right?” and he chuckled at the sight of Carl’s blushing. 

Michonne lowered herself carefully into the chair next to Maggie. She was getting bigger, and although she didn’t let her pregnancy keep her from going about her normal routine they could all see she was tiring more quickly and not as quick on her feet as she had been. 

“Maggie,” Michonne said seriously, eyeing Maggie closely, “is this what you really want? Can you be happy if Daryl is with someone else?” 

Rick and Carl settled down and gazed just as seriously at Maggie as Michonne was. Maggie hesitated, then nodded slowly. 

“Yes. I think I can truly say all I want is Daryl’s happiness. I love him, and for months now I’ve played what if in my mind. Pictured the two of us raising Herschel together. Maybe eventually having a child of our own,” Maggie looked down at her wedding ring-the ring Glen had given her and that she’d never taken off. A tear slipped down her cheek as she gazed quietly at the ring, then looked up with a sad smile on her lips. “But I don’t love Daryl that way after all. I love him like a brother. I don’t think I’ll ever love any man enough to have another child with. Glen was my world-and we were damn lucky we found each other. You don’t get that lucky twice. So I’ve decided to raise my son with his family“ and she waved her hand at Rick and Carl, “his uncles Rick and Daryl and cousin Carl and however many other people we become family with. He won’t lack for good male role models, that’s for sure. And I can enjoy my memories of Glen and be grateful I had a love to last my lifetime and know we’ll be together again one day.” 

Michonne clasped Maggie’s hands in hers briefly and nodded. “That’s good enough for me Maggie,” she said quietly. She waved her hand at Rick. “Help me up, husband, and take me back to bed. I am bone tired,” she said through a tremendous yawn. 

“Yes ma’am,” Rick said smiling as he pulled Michonne up carefully from the couch and led her back toward the bedroom they’d been sleeping in. 

Carl yawned and looked at Maggie. “You go on to bed, I’ll stay up and keep an eye on Herschel,” he said quietly. 

Maggie smirked. “Don’t think you’re fooling me, Carl. You just don’t want Judy kicking you anymore,” and she stood up and headed toward the room Judith was asleep in. 

Carl blew out a laugh and settled back on the couch with a book he’d found on the bookshelf beside the couch. He hadn’t read Huck Finn since he was a little kid, and he’d forgotten how interesting it was.


	45. Happily Ever After

Chapter 45

Daryl and Katie sat on her couch with Rachel still clasped tightly to his chest. Neither speaking, just sitting and gazing quietly at each other. After a few more moments of silence, Daryl carefully shifted Rachel to where she was sitting sideways on his lap facing her mother. 

“I need to tell ya both I’m sorry,” Daryl spoke quietly. Rachel frowned and opened her mouth, but Katie shook her head and shushed her quietly. “I’m sorry I left like I did, without saying goodbye to ya or explainin’ what I was doin’” Daryl continued, and although he was directing his remarks to Rachel Katie knew it was because it was easier for him to speak to Rachel than to her at this moment. 

Rachel nodded eagerly. “That’s okay, Daryl,” she began. 

Daryl shook his head and clasped her hands gently in his big rough hands. 

“No punkin, it ain’t. It wasn’t nice of me to worry y’all like that, not after all the nice things you and your momma have done for me. I’m sorry, and I hope ya can forgive me,” he trailed off uncertainly. 

“Thank you for apologizing Daryl, and I believe Rachel and I can forgive you-but only if you promise not to ever worry us like that again, right Rachel?”

Daryl nodded his head, still keeping his eyes glued on Rachel and avoiding looking directly at Katie. 

“We both love you so much we hate to think something bad has happened to you,” Katie continued softly. 

Daryl nodded again and Rachel pulled her hand from his to wipe at his face in surprise. 

“Don’t cry, Daryl,” Rachel said uncertainly. “Mommy isn’t gonna put you in time out or send you to bed without a story, right Mommy?” and Rachel looked uncertainly at Katie. 

Katie bit back a laugh and smiled at Rachel. “Absolutely not. No time outs for Daryl and he definitely gets a story before bedtime tonight if he isn’t too tired,” Katie said in a whisper. “Are you too tired, Daryl?” 

Daryl peered up at her from underneath his shaggy, dirty bangs and shook his head slightly. 

“Well, then, how about you get cleaned up while Rachel and I make us all a bedtime snack and then we can all lie in bed while I tell a story. How does that sound?” 

Rachel scrambled off Daryl’s lap and started jumping up and down. “Yes snacks and a story! And I get to sleep in the middle of the big bed!” 

Daryl gazed silently at Rachel and then at Katie. “Yeah, I think that sounds good. What story are ya gonna read tonight?” he asked as he smiled slightly at Katie. 

“I’m not reading one. I’m making one up. It’s about how Daryl and Katie and Rachel became a family and lived happily ever after.” 

Katie stood up and grasping Daryl’s hand she pulled him up from the couch. 

“Do you think you want to hear that story?” she asked standing as close as she could be to him. 

Daryl nodded and pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Yeah, I do. If ya promise that they really do live happily ever after,” he murmured into her hair. 

“My stories about Daryl and Katie and Rachel never end any other way,” she whispered back and kissed him sweetly on the lips.


End file.
